KNOX COUNTY, Illinois — One man died and another man and three children were injured in a crash on Highway 34 southwest of Wataga, Illinois.
A black Nissan Altima was headed southbound around 4 p.m. Saturday, March 6 when the driver tried to pass another vehicle in the 2100 block. The Nissan, driven by 31-year-old Jamal Jenkins Jr. wound up hitting a red Toyota Prius, driven by 39-year-old Joshua Baumgardner, according to a statement from Sgt. Brad Davis with the Knox County Sheriff's Department.
Both vehicles ended up on the east shoulder of the highway. Sgt. Davis confirmed that Baumgardner, from Altona, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jenkins, from Pennsylvania, sustained non-life-threatening injuries
Jenkins and the three children with him were taken to the hospital in Peoria, said Sgt. Davis. The children - a girl, age four and two boys, ages seven and eight - were all transported by Life Flight. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
The following charges have been issued against Jenkins: reckless homicide, endangering the life or health of a child, aggravated reckless driving, child restraint violation, improper passing on the left, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane usage, and no valid driver's license.
