Home Depot surveillance video captures fatal crash

Surveillance video from a March fatal crash in the McHenry Home Depot parking lot shows a white pickup truck drive through a crosswalk without stopping just before the driver struck and ran over a 71-year-old pedestrian.

The driver of the pickup truck, 19-year-old Christian Zientko, told police on March 31, that he saw a pedestrian approaching the crosswalk, but thought the man was going to yield, police reports show.

Video footage of the crash that was captured on Home Depot surveillance cameras showed Johnsburg resident William Dammeyer and Zientko, in his vehicle, approaching the crosswalk about the same time. Although Zientko did appear to slow down at the stop sign near the entrance of the store, the vehicle did not come to a stop before striking Dammeyer, who was about halfway through the crosswalk at the time of the crash.

The teen was cited for disobeying a stop sign, and prosecutors with the McHenry County State's Attorney Office later determined they would not pursue additional charges.

Zientko's attorney, Edward Donahue, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Officers reported that Zientko was visibly upset and concerned for Dammeyer after the crash. His father, who was present when police arrived, advised the teenager not to submit a blood sample to rule out the involvement of drugs or alcohol. A breath test determined Zientko had no alcohol in his system, according to police reports.

Dammeyer's wife, Paula Dammeyer, said her husband was at Home Depot to swap out his lawnmower battery. He never made it inside the store.

Officers responded at 12:41 p.m. to Home Depot, 2461 N. Richmond Road, where an investigation determined that Dammeyer was struck by Zientko's 2008 GMC Sierra HD pickup truck.

Dammeyer was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital and then flown via Flight for Life to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he died April 1.