Authorities: Joliet driver charged in crash was facing deportation

• Reprints

A van sits on its top after being hit by a a pickup Monday in Troy Township. | Submitted by Jessica Jerkovich

Updated: March 9, 2012 8:19AM

TROY TOWNSHIP — Police say a man was facing deportation when his truck collided with a Shorewood family’s minivan Monday morning.

A Shorewood resident and her three children — her 10- and 13-year-old sons and 9-year-old daughter — were injured in the crash, which happened around 9:30 a.m. on County Line Road near Baltz Road. According to reports, Juan Serrano-Ortega, 25, was turning left on Baltz when his Ford F150 struck the oncoming Honda van and sent it rolling to the side of the road.

Jessica Jerkovich, of Joliet, came down the road moments later and initially thought the smoke was fog or a burning pile of leaves. Then, she saw the minivan with its wheels still spinning.

“I put my car in park and called 911 as I got out and ran up,” Jerkovich said. “The other driver was looking inside the van, and the little girl was screaming so much.”

Jerkovich pushed glass out of the way and tried to undo the girl’s twisted safety belt.

“She was kicking and screaming, but finally let me turn her to drag her out onto the grass,” Jerkovich said.

Another passerby, an older man, helped the boys to get out, while Jerkovich got a blanket from her car and a nearby resident got a jacket to cover the girl.

“The mom was yelling she couldn’t get out of her seat belt and when a work van passed, I stepped out and flagged him down to get a knife,” Jerkovich said. “He cut her out or gave her the knife to cut her out and I went back to the girl who was trying to stand up and kept falling down.”

Jerkovich said a doctor also stopped and told the girl not to move before Troy Fire Department ambulances arrived.

“I’d been looking after the girl and we noticed the other driver was gone (even though) he was hurt and bleeding,” Jerkovich said.

Will County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said Serrano-Ortega ran from the crash and hid under bushes by a house about a half-mile down the road.

“Serrano-Ortega skipped out on an Immigration and Naturalization Services warrant that was issued in 2010 when he was supposed to be deported,” Hoffmeyer said.

After being located and arrested by deputies, Serrano-Ortega was treated for internal injuries at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center.

After being released Monday night he was booked into the county jail on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, driving without a license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and making an improper left turn. Hoffmeyer said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash.

The family in the flipped minivan also was taken to Provena Saint Joseph. According to reports, one of the boys was treated and released Monday, and his brother was released Tuesday morning. Their mother, who had a concussion, was released Tuesday morning.

The girl suffered a concussion and internal injuries, which required surgery. She reportedly has fractured vertebrae and remains hospitalized to undergo testing for other back injuries.

“I can’t get the image of that girl out of my head,” Jerkovich said Tuesday. “I broke down in tears after it was over. I have a 2-year-old daughter myself and a 9-month-old son and I just thought if I’d have brought them with me and left a few minutes earlier, it could’ve been us.”

Serrano-Ortega’s bond was set at $500,000 Tuesday. If he is able to post bail, he would be turned over to the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement before being released.

He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 28.