Alleged wrong way driver still hospitalized
By Lauren FitzPatrick Sun-Times Media lfitzpatrick@suntimes.com August 8, 2011 5:54PM
Friends of Afrose Merchant and her family gather outside the family's home in Elmhurst Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. Nazia Qadri (left) and her daughter Yusra, wait for members of the family who were involved in a crash on I-88 that left 2 family members dead and one injured critically. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times
Updated: September 10, 2011 12:47AM
The driver of a Porsche convertible that slammed into opposing traffic on Interstate 88, killing a father and daughter on their way to the mosque, remained in the hospital Monday evening as police continued to investigate what caused him to drive the wrong way.
The head-on crash Saturday evening on Interstate 88 in Lisle killed Farzana Ali, 37, and her father, Sherali Shalwani, 74, both of Elmhurst. Ali’s husband, Karim Ali, remained in critical condition at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, according to a hospital spokesman.
Illinois State Police will not identify the Porsche’s driver, saying no charges have been filed against him. The crash remains under investigation, Illinois State Police Tollway District Master Sgt. Matt Hodgdon said, so police have not yet said whether drugs or alcohol may be a factor.
The driver of the red Porsche convertible, a 43-year-old from Naperville, was listed in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Hodgdon said.
He drove east in the westbound center lane of I-88 at about 6:30 p.m., colliding with the Toyota Corolla carrying the Alis and Shalwani, police said. The Corolla hit the median wall; the Porsche hit a minivan.
The family was heading to the Naperville Islamic Community Center for a prayer service. Other relatives including Farzana Ali’s sister and mother, were traveling in a separate car.
Nizar Jiwani, a family friend and spokesman , said the family was trying to finalize funeral arrangements.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment