Crime & Safety
Police: Seizure Caused Monday's 3-Car Accident at Sergio's Cantina
The following information was supplied by the Geneva Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
Geneva police say a driver's seizure caused his car to cut across three lanes into oncoming traffic Monday and collide with two other vehicles that spun off the road, one crashing into a popular downtown restaurant.
Two drivers were sent to Delnor Hospital after the crash that took place around 2:48 p.m. Monday, April 23, in the 0-99 block of West State Street about 20 feet east of First Street, at Sergio's Cantina.
The front of the Toyota Highlander driven by Richard Dodd, 51, of Geneva collided with the rear of a Ford F-150 driven by Michael Platzke, 41, of Geneva and the driver’s side of a Mitsubishi Galant driven by Mickey Palmer, 67, of St. Charles. Dodd and Palmer were taken to Delnor Hospital by Medic 251.
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According to police reports, Dodd was driving west on West State Street when he suffered a seizure, which caused him to lose consciousness. His Kia Optima struck the Geneva bridge guard rail and continued across both westbound lanes into the eastbound lanes, reports said.
Platzke’s Ford F-150 and Palmer’s Galant were turning from southbound First Street (Route 31) onto eastbound West State Street (Route 38). Dodd’s Highlander struck Platzke’s F-150 with its front bumper in its driver’s side rear-tire area, causing the F-150 to spin until it stopped on the sidewalk on the south side of the road, according to reports.
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The Highlander continued in the eastbound lanes and struck the Galant's driver’s-side rear tire area, causing the Galant to spin around and strike the Sergio's Cantina building at 30 West State St. Dodd’s Highlander came to rest on the sidewalk at the intersection of West State Street and First Street.
There was property damage to the wall of Sergio’s Cantina, 30 West State St., but no estimates of the property damage in the report. More than $1,500 damage was done to any one vehicle.
Traffic on East State Street was backed up to the area of Munchie P's .
Dodd was issued a written warning for driving in the wrong lane.
A search of previous Geneva Patch articles shows with the front of a Honda Accord driven by Gregory David of Wheaton around 5:35 p.m. Jan. 11 on North Kirk Road at Hill Road.
Patch reports on law enforcement activity in Geneva, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Geneva editor Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.
