Local family waiting on 'justice' from 2005 car accident
By NICOLE WESKERNA - nweskerna@daily-chronicle.com
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| Amanda Elkins and daughter Jazmine Luciano were killed in a car accident in January 2005. Their family is still trying to reach a settlement with the medical facility that treated Elkins shortly before the accident. Pictured are (front) Emo Luciano, Jazmine's father; Molly Farrell, Elkins' mother; and Elkins' brothers Farrell Lewis (back left) and Stephen Lewis. (Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@daily-chronicle.com) | ||
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SHABBONA – Molly Farrell believes that if a "common-sense" practice had been in place at a medical clinic six years ago, her daughter and granddaughter would be alive.
Farrell lost her 18-year-old daughter, Amanda Elkins, and her 10-month-old granddaughter, Jazmine Luciano, in a car accident six years ago. She believes her daughter was improperly discharged from a visit to a doctor's clinic and a medication that she was given led to the accident.
On Jan. 26, 2005, Elkins visited the Dreyer Medical Clinic in Batavia because she was experiencing flulike symptoms. Farrell drove separately and met her daughter at the clinic because she also was seeking medical treatment for a health problem.
Farrell said her daughter was cleared to leave after spending a few hours at the clinic without having to sign any discharge papers or receiving any discharge instructions. Farrell followed Elkins in her car until they parted ways at Randall Road so Farrell could stop at a pharmacy to pick up prescriptions.
On her way back to her Shabbona home, Elkins – who had Jazmine buckled into a car seat in the back of her 2002 Kia Rio – crossed the center line traveling west on Route 30 and struck a semitrailer head-on. Elkins was pronounced dead at the scene, and Jazmine died about a half-hour later at Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb.
“It was really the worst sensation,” Farrell said of when she found out. “I physically felt part of my heart leaving my body.”
A toxicology report after the accident indicated Elkins tested positive for a drug called Phenergan, which the medical staff administered intravenously during her visit to the clinic. The drug is used to prevent nausea and vomiting, and one of the side effects includes drowsiness.
DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller said during the coroner’s inquest that he spoke to the doctor a day or two after the incident. The doctor told Miller he was under the impression that Elkins would not be driving herself home.
DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said no charges were filed after the accident, and deputies weren’t able to determine what caused Elkins’ vehicle to drift across the center line.
“She was returning from a medical appointment,” Scott said. “That may have been a contributing factor, but we don’t know for sure.”
Farrell believes if Elkins’ doctor would have advised her not to drive, her daughter would not have gotten into an accident.
Two years after the accident, Farrell filed a lawsuit against Dr. Michael Collins at the Dreyer Medical Clinic, and she hopes to reach a settlement soon. Stephanie Johnson, director of public affairs for Advocate Health Care, which is associated with Dreyer Medical Clinic, said she could not comment because of the pending litigation.
Farrell said the clinic implemented a new discharge practice about a year after her daughter’s accident, and all patients now are notified about driving after taking certain medications.
“All we really want is justice for our girls,” Farrell said. “Had this policy been put in place, our girls would still be alive.”
Remembering mother and daughter
Since the accident, Farrell said she has suffered illnesses that are perpetuated by stress. She hopes a settlement will help pay for what her family has lost, but she said putting a price on the lives of her daughter and granddaughter is impossible.
“We’re just trying to move on,” Farrell said. “We didn’t go into this voluntarily. They made a grave mistake, and we’ve lost a lot.”
Farrell said some of the money from a settlement could be used to start a foundation in memory of her daughter and granddaughter that’s dedicated to supporting teen mothers.
Elkins was only a few months away from graduating high school when the accident happened. After a complicated pregnancy, she wanted to attend Northern Illinois University and go into neonatal nursing.
Farrell Lewis, Elkins’ 15-year-old brother, described his sister as a caretaker, selfless and someone who always put others before herself.
“She always had a good mood,” Lewis said. “She always had a smile on her face.”
Elkins’ 13-year-old brother, Stephen Lewis, thinks of his Superman shirt when he thinks of his sister because she was always stealing it from him. Before Jazmine was born, Stephen drew a picture of his family and spelled Jazmine’s name with a “z.” From then on, Elkins decided that’s how she would spell her baby’s name.
Farrell’s family remains close with Jazmine’s father, Emiliano “Emo” Luciano. Every year, they celebrate Jazmine’s birthday by holding a toy drive for children at the hospital where Jazmine was born. On March 9, Jazmine would have turned 7 years old.
Farrell said her daughter was her best friend, and she feels blessed to have had her daughter and granddaughter in her life. She still questions what life would be like if she would have known about the medication or if they had chosen a different clinic.
“We’ll never stop grieving them, and there will never be a day we wish this didn’t happen,” Farrell said.
On the Web
www.amandaandjazmine.blogspot.com
it seems like we are never gonna get justice for the girls since everytime we come close the doctors lawyers bring up something else to delay it. I mean just face it the doctor messed up and admitted to it so stop stalling and give us justice
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