75-year-old woman killed in Swansea car crash
A 75-year-old woman was killed in a traffic crash Thursday evening near on Illinois 161 in Swansea near High Mount School.
The woman was identified as Bobbie Laker, who was pronounced at Memorial Hospital in Belleville at 7:53 p.m., said St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Illinois 161 and Morgan Street, about 1/3-mile west of North Illinois Street.
According to Swansea police, Laker was on Morgan waiting to merge onto Illinois 161. After letting several vehicles pass, she pulled out in front of an east-bound car, sending both vehicles across 161 and into a ditch on the north side of the road.
Two children with Laker also were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries. It is not known at this time if the driver of the other vehicle was injured.
“The driver of the vehicle that was driving on Route 161 was tested and found to not have been impaired,” Swansea Police Chief Steve Johnson said on a social media post. “This fatality could turn out to be just a momentary lapse of attention that turned fatal.”
Johnson said that, while police and emergency medical workers were blocking the roadway to tend to the scene, another driver attempted to bypass a fire truck in the road.
“The driver drove over a curb and was eventually stopped by an officer,” Johnson said. “He was intoxicated and arrested for driving while under the influence.”
Police identified the man as William B. Paulsell, 66, of Belleville.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 11:33 AM.
