Clinton County toddler adjusts to ‘new normal’ after crash that killed three
A sign reading “Please Don’t Drink and Drive” marks the site near Clinton County Line Road where a head-on collision on St. Patrick’s Day left three people dead and a toddler seriously injured.
The sign stands as both a memorial and a warning about the deadly consequences of impaired driving, a tragedy that forever linked two families.
Ashley Koehler and her son, Jacob Emmerich-Tomlin, died after 21-year-old Blaise Nowak, allegedly driving under the influence, struck their vehicle head-on while attempting to pass another car at high speed, Illinois State Police said. Koehler’s 3-year-old daughter, Gracie Emmerich, sustained serious injuries and continues to work to regain her previous quality of life. Her prognosis remains uncertain.
Koehler was driving home after picking up her son, with Gracie strapped in her car seat and her 10-year-old son in the rear passenger seat of their Honda Pilot. The family was less than four miles from home on U.S. 50, near the St. Clair–Clinton county line, when the crash occurred at about 8:49 p.m. March 17.
Nowak, driving a Lincoln MKZ, was eastbound at a high rate of speed when he collided with Koehler’s car head-on. Police said Nowak’s blood alcohol content was five times the legal limit. He also died at the scene.
Koehler is survived by three other children: Natalie, 19; Lexi, 16; and Jace, 14. The family gathered Aug. 5 to mark what would have been Jacob’s 11th birthday with a balloon release at his gravesite.
“It was a joyful remembrance of Jacob’s life but also a deeply sad day because Jacob should still be alive, tinkering with his drill, weed eater and power tools,” said Paul Emmerich, Koehler’s father. “He was a handy guy who liked cutting grass and doing weed eating. ... He was the typical boy. We all miss him so much. His mother should have been there laughing and joking around with him.”
‘A new normal’
For the first time this school year, Natalie, Lexi and Jace started classes without their mother at home. “As you can imagine, they are dealing with a lot of emotions. They have good and bad days, ups and downs. It’s all so new,” Emmerich said.
Jason Tomlin, father of Koehler’s first four children, and Jeff Koehler, Gracie’s father, are supporting the children with their grief and helping Gracie adjust to her new normal.
Gracie was released from Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in St. Louis on July 18, just in time to celebrate her fourth birthday July 28 — a milestone the family cherishes. To help Gracie through her grief, her grandfather gave her photos of her mother and brother.
“She holds them close,” he said. “She asked me if I cried because she was in a wreck. I told her yes.”
For her birthday, Gracie wanted slime and Play-Doh. Emmerich also gave her a small photo album with more pictures of her mom and brother, including one of her mom as a child. “Gracie loved that.”
Gracie still cannot walk independently. She uses a wheelchair and a walker with a safety belt during physical therapy but feels frustrated that she cannot run with the other children as she did before the crash, her grandfather said. Doctors removed a piece of her skull to relieve swelling on her brain and later replaced it. The helmet she wore when leaving the hospital has been removed, but she continues to face some cognitive challenges.
The family expressed gratitude to doctors, nurses, friends, neighbors and everyone who supported them through the ordeal.
“People have prayed for the family, sent monetary contributions, cards and letters. There have been so many acts of kindness. We just thank everyone,” Emmerich said.
Heroes at the scene
Among those the family thanks are two strangers who stopped to help at the scene. James Johnson and his wife were driving from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where Johnson had just graduated from air evacuation medical school, to Scott Air Force Base with their daughters. Johnson’s wife, driving separately, stopped behind him.
“We were coming off the highway, made a right turn and noticed a car was on fire and then we saw another car. My immediate response was to pull over. My wife pulled up behind me,” Johnson said
After making sure his family was safe, Johnson, a medic, ran to the crash site and offered help. Gracie was handed to him by another bystander, later identified as Noah Marler.
Johnson assessed Gracie’s injuries and stabilized her in the back of a police cruiser until paramedics arrived. She was still breathing and semi responsive. She had a lot of blood loss, though, and had multiple fractures.
Johnson then rode in the ambulance, maintained her airway and helped with an IV. Not knowing her age or medication requirements, Johnson used Broselow tape, a tool to determine pediatric dosages.
Gracie was eventually airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Marler, of Trenton, was returnig from Saint Louis University that night when he saw the crash. As he arrived, he saw a burning Lincoln and helped cut Gracie from her car seat, handing her to Johnson. Marler remained to stabilize Koehler until emergency crews arrived.
“The condition of the vehicles made it hard for me to imagine anyone was alive,” Marler said. “Thankfully, though, someone survived, and I’m glad I arrived when I did.
“Her car was was pretty mangled. It was flipped upside down and the windows were busted out of it. I could see the mother in the driver’s seat and the 3-year-old turned upside down in a car seat. I could not see that there was another person in the car.”
Marler said he was unable to help Nowak because the Lincoln’s doors were locked and the fire made access impossible. He also noted frequent accidents on that stretch of U.S. 50, which he said suffers from jurisdictional issues and limited policing.
“There’s a jurisdictional issue between Clinton County and St. Clair County. Municipal cops can’t police it. Only Illinois State Police can — and they’re scattered.”
