CHICAGO (CBS) – The sole survivor of a weekend crash that killed two northwest suburban teens told CBS 2 the tragedy was preventable.
It involved a 21-year-old woman accused of driving under the influence and causing the crash on the Eisenhower Expressway.
Noah Browder was still wearing a hospital bracelet after surviving the crash that killed his best friend Erik Cox and his friend Shaelyn Sherwood. Browder described Cox as a brother and said the two interacted every day.
“It’s terrible,” Browder said. “I mean, it’s something I won’t forget for a long time.”
This week, a memorial grew up for the two victims with balloons, flowers and photos, including one from the ball a few weeks ago.
“They were the kind of people you just wanted to be friends with,” said Lacey Puleo, Cox’s girlfriend. “Like they were both so cool, and this shows that so many people care about them, loved them and miss them.”
Puleo dated Cox for two years.
“Erik was my whole world,” she said. “And it’s just insane that the world is still turning while he’s gone.”
Now Browder and Puleo are leaning on each other. They said Browder, Cox and Sherwood were on their way home from a Saturday night on the town when they stopped to fix a flat tire on the Eisenhower.
“Shae, she was the one who changed the tires,” Puleo said. “She was the guy. They didn’t know how to do it, so she had to step in, and they were dancing and stuff. They had a really good night that night. They had a lot of fun, all three of them.”
But police said Ashanti Gates bumped into the teens. She is suspected of driving under the influence. The crash left the teens with sadness, anger and memories of their friends.
“I’m very grateful that Shae was there to hold his hand and take him to heaven,” Puleo said. ‘She was a very good friend to him. He had to live. He had to do everything he wanted to do. He deserved that.’
Gates was charged with misdemeanor aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless homicide, as well as child endangerment because police said a four-year-old child was in her car.
