Odell woman identified in fatal crash; one driver in serious condition

Posted on January 6, 2016
Police car
A passenger was killed in a two-car crash in rural Odell on Saturday.
(Photo courtesy Flickr/DavidsonScott15)

By Eric Stock

ODELL – Livingston County authorities say an Odell woman was killed in a crash in Odell Township on Saturday, while one of the drivers is in critical condition.

Coroner Michael Burke said the victim is 65-year-old Charlene Pozdol. State Police say the woman was thrown from a Jeep that had collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of U.S. Route 66 and Livingston County Road 2500 North at about 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Jeep driver was Steven Pozdol, 39, of Odell. He was taken to OSF St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac and was later was transferred to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. He is listed in critical condition.

Two children in the car were also hospitalized. Their conditions are not available.

The pickup truck driver, Ralph Hermann, 74, of Cornell, was ticketed for failure to yield. He wasn’t hurt.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…