ALTON - Melissa Scharfinski and Elliander Eldridge were in the area of the Great Rivers Museum in Alton at 1:50 a.m. on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at the intersection directly in front of the museum entrance when what they described as "a tour bus" and a Jeep collided.
"I only heard the sound of the accident, but Elliander saw everything happen. He said he was the only eye-witness, so stayed to give a statement to the police after we called 911. We called 911 as soon as possible," Scharfinski said.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The call to 911 was at 1:52 a.m. she said and lasted 48 seconds according to phone logs, so the time of the accident was probably around 1:50 a.m.
Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said preliminary investigation revealed that a privately owned bus was in the process of completing an improper turn at this intersection when it was struck by the front end of Jeep, which had been traveling westbound on Illinois Route 143.
"The Jeep sustained extensive damage, and the driver had to be extricated from the Jeep," Chief Pulido said.
The person in the Jeep was taken to the hospital and airlifted to a St. Louis hospital.
"We are not normally out at that time, but we are grateful that we could help in some way," Scharfinski and Eldridge said.
More like this:
