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'distracted' Young Driver Hits, Injures Four

November 23, 2005

The young driver who struck six people when his car hopped a curb and ran onto a sidewalk after a high school football game in Naperville said he was distracted by another vehicle. 'This car was on my back, and the headlights were just right there and then I turned,' Brandon Eskridge said Saturday. 'I was distracted, and I kind of lost control of the car.'

Eskridge's mother, Bev, said her 17-year-old son was so distraught about the crash that he didn't sleep much. He was worried about the four people, including three minors, who were sent to hospital as a result of the accident. 'Do you know how they are?' the Bolingbrook High School senior said. 'I haven't been told.'

Police said the four people taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville were released early Saturday. Two other people who were struck refused treatment at the scene, police said. Their identities and details of their injuries were not available.

Eskridge had not been charged in connection with the incident as of late Saturday, but his mother said she was told by police he likely would face charges of some kind. Police said they don't believe alcohol or drugs played a part. Eskridge had blood drawn by hospital workers after the crash, his mother said. He was driving three friends home after his school's 21-14 defeat of Neuqua Valley High School. Police were notified of the crash just after 9:30 p.m.

Eskridge's 1992 Ford Escort was eastbound on 95th Street near Nicole Drive in heavy post-game traffic when the car jumped the curb, striking the six pedestrians who were walking in the same direction, police said. Three youths between the ages of 11 and 15 were taken to the hospital along with one of the children's 48-year-old father, police said.