Joliet neighborhood scene of another tragedy
By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com June 25, 2012 1:24PM
A 47-year-old man died Monday morning after his SUV drove past a T-intersection, struck a house and rolled over in the Riverbrook Estates subdivision. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: July 27, 2012 6:15AM
JOLIET — A second tragic death in less than 24 hours occurred in the Riverbrook Estates subdivision Monday morning.
Robert Miletta, 47, died after his vehicle struck a house and rolled over just before 9 a.m. in the 1500 block of Brookfield Drive.
Police say it appears Miletta was driving his Hyundai Santa Fe east on Meadowbrook Street when he went past the T-intersection and struck the corner of a house and a tree.
Firefighters extricated the man from the vehicle, which landed on the driver’s side. He was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center and later was pronounced dead. An autopsy was scheduled but sources indicated the man may have suffered a stroke or heart attack before the crash.
Records show Miletta is the homeowner of the property in the same neighborhood where 4-year-old Justin Gore drowned Sunday morning in the 1500 block of Green Trails Drive.
The autistic child was staying at his grandparents’ house in the subdivision while his parents were out of town. The child was last seen sleeping on a couch about 5 a.m. but apparently wandered away and was found in the pool at 10:47 a.m.
One report said the victim was on his way to buy a pump to drain the water from the pool to tear it down when the crash occurred.
Bridget Abbott owns the house on Brookfield that was clipped by the Santa Fe and said her son, Eamon Ervin, was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom when he was awakened by the crash. He was not injured.
“It’s just a house, you can fix that,” she said. “I just feel so much worse for (the driver) and his family,” Abbott said.
The traffic unit spent the morning investigating at the scene and the vehicle was towed away about 1 p.m.
An autopsy performed Monday afternoon confirmed Miletta died from a heart attack and did not suffer any injuries in the crash.
