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Family, attorney call for enforcement of new Illinois ambulance-siren law after fatal collision; council hears emotional public testimony
Summary
Family members of a man struck and killed by an ambulance said they and other witnesses have repeatedly seen emergency vehicles travel through intersections without sirens and urged the city to enforce Act 1251 standards and ensure driver training.
Several family members of Donald "DJ" Stallworth III, and their attorney, used audience time at the Feb. 18 City Council meeting to urge the city to enforce a 2024 Illinois law that requires emergency vehicles to deploy sirens when passing through intersections on emergency runs and establishes training standards for emergency vehicle drivers.
Antoinette Diedrich and other family members described their ongoing grief after Stallworth was struck and killed by an ambulance in May 2022. They said the law (referred to in testimony as Act 12 51) was adopted to reduce collisions and to require training of ambulance drivers; family members said they have observed ambulances operating without sirens since the statute took effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Attorney Kevin O'Connor, who spoke at the meeting and represents multiple clients in municipal cases, urged the city to adopt a proactive training and enforcement program: "I volunteered my time. I'm gonna do it again ... we have to make that change and we have to make sure it starts from the top," he said, calling for driver education and a system-wide approach to reducing preventable emergency-vehicle collisions.
Council members and staff responded that they would raise the family's concerns with the fire department and other city staff and look for immediate steps to remind drivers of the new law and to ensure training is being provided and tracked. Chief Navarro was present for his earlier public report on crime statistics but did not speak during public testimony; the family specifically asked the fire department to lead by example.
City officials said they would follow up with the family and staff to determine whether refresher training, policy reminders or additional oversight are needed to ensure compliance with state law and best practices for emergency-vehicle operations.
No formal council action was recorded at the Feb. 18 meeting; the public testimony prompted council members to request that staff coordinate a response and to remind emergency-service personnel of the statutory requirements.
