Feb. 12--A Westchester man, sitting in a state trooper's vehicle following a traffic accident on the Eisenhower Expressway, was killed when the squad car was rear-ended Saturday.
Frank Caruso's Nissan sport utility vehicle stalled around Mill Road near Addison after a minor traffic accident about 1 a.m., officials said.
A trooper pulled over and used the squad's emergency lights to warn eastbound traffic of the hazard and allowed Caruso to keep warm in his vehicle while they waited for a tow truck.
At about 1:20 a.m., a man driving a Chevy Impala rear-ended the squad car, police said. Caruso, 42, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m., police said.
The trooper sustained a concussion and was later released from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, authorities said.
Daniel Clark, 32, of Chicago, was charged with two counts of aggravated DUI and is expected to appear in court in DuPage County on Sunday. Clark was treated at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village following the crash.
For Caruso's family, the accident was the latest in what has been a series of emotional highs and lows, one relative said.
"We didn't believe it," said Angelo Calcagno, Caruso's brother-in-law. "On the way to the hospital, we couldn't talk, we couldn't say anything. We didn't want to believe it."
Caruso became a grandfather about two months ago and was "glowing" with joy over his grandson, Calcagno said. From that high, there was heartache when Caruso's father died of cancer less than three weeks ago.
On Saturday, Calcagno said the family was trying to reconcile Caruso's death. He remembered Caruso as a handsome, easygoing brother-in-law.
"Frank was just an innocent bystander, waiting in a police car to stay warm," Calcagno said. "Wrong place, wrong time."
Copyright 2012 - Chicago Tribune
