Driver cited in connection with deadly Crest Hill pedestrian crash

A Crest Hill man was issued three traffic citations in connection with a crash that led to Wednesday’s death of a 36-year-old woman and extensive damage to The A’s Club building.

Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark said Thursday that Gus Levaris, 90, was cited with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, having driving with an expired license and driving an uninsured motor vehicle.

Clark said the police investigation and traffic reconstruction by the Will County Sheriff’s Office remains ongoing.

“We have to wait for the completion of everything,” Clark said of the investigation.

Clark said there was no initial indication that Levaris was impaired by alcohol or drugs during the incident.

Levaris was the driver of a vehicle that struck Jamie L. Walsh of Joliet and smashed into The A’s Club building, 1801 Knapp St., Crest Hill, Clark said.

A Lockport Township Fire Protection District emergency crew responded to the incident about 1 p.m. Wednesday, Lockport Fire Chief Frank Blaskey said.

Walsh later was pronounced dead at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, according to the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Levaris was taken to the same hospital for injuries considered non-life-threatening. Clark said he didn’t know if Levaris has been released from the hospital yet.

The A’s Club’s website said its location is a private-party venue and club “for all kids to come together for celebration and interactive fun.”

Company officials announced on the website that the building was temporarily closed because of a “tragic event involving our facility.”

On Thursday morning, the building’s front entrance was boarded up and the interior showed extensive damage from the crash.