Madison County man dies nearly a year after crash with man accused of fleeing police
After fighting severe injuries sustained in a crash allegedly caused by a man fleeing Granite City police last fall, a St. Jacob man died Friday, his family reported.
Devyn Trampe died while in a St. Louis County hospital, according to his mother, Kelly Trampe of Troy. He was 32. Devyn spent several months in recuperation at home before being readmitted to the hospital, his mother said.
Moments before the Nov. 14, 2022, crash, Trampe had left a nearby oil terminal, where he expected to get a new job. Just weeks earlier, on Halloween, he and his wife and their two children had moved into a new home.
“Devyn’s greatest super power was making people smile,” Kelly Trampe said in a post on Caring Bridge. “He could arrive at any party, see someone not smiling, and with the flash of his pearly whites, change that in an instant.
“Everybody loved Devyn and knew him as the ‘class clown.’ To all that knew him, you most likely knew him for his infectious smile and laugh that may or may not have landed him in trouble more than once.
“Devyn was passionate and loved with every fiber of his being. He would do anything to help anyone and loved growing his network of friends as he walked through the path of life. Devyn was compassionate and generous to a fault. He would give anyone the sandwich off of his plate if it would make them smile.”
Devyn Trampe suffered severe brain injuries that incapacitated him. He also had other injuries, including broken ribs and a punctured lung, his mother reported.
Charges pending
Ronnell L. Welch, 39, was allegedly driving a stolen Siverado pickup truck up to 85 mph and, while fleeing from a Granite City police officer, crashed into Trampe’s Dodge Ram pickup truck on Illinois 3 at the intersection with Rock Road in Madison County, according to federal and state court records.
The charges filed against Welch in April are pending in Madison County.
Here are the four offenses:
- Aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer for allegedly fleeing from a Granite City police officer who had given Welch visual and audible signals to stop, according to the charging documents.
- Aggravated reckless driving for allegedly fleeing from police at “high rate of speed” and entering the Illinois 3 and Rock Road intersection without yielding to oncoming traffic and causing great bodily harm to Trampe, the charging documents state.
- Offenses relating to motor vehicles for allegedly possessing the Silverado when not entitled to it.
- Residential burglary for allegedly entering a woman’s home in the 3000 block of Myrtle Avenue in Granite City with the intent to commit a theft, according to the charging documents.
The crash between Devyn Trampe’s truck and the one driven by Welch was investigated by Illinois State Police.
Prosecutors have upgraded charges in other cases when a person dies after an initial set of charges had been filed.
The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office said it will review the Welch case in the coming days and see if additional reports are forthcoming.
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 3:44 PM.
