A mom who attended her church service without her husband for the first time on Mother's Day gets killed in a hit-and-run accident, reports say.
The Christian Post (CP) said 62-year-old Annette Odneal has just left the Abounding Life Church of God in Christ's service last Sunday when she was killed by the accident. This was the first time in 36 years Odneal attended church service on her own. She usually went with her husband, O.B. Odneal.
"What am I to tell my grandkids? This is hard for me to explain," the grieving husband said during an interview with WGNTV.
According to CP, a stolen Dodge Charger suddenly crushed onto Annette's car as she was pulling out from church at the corner of Mozart Avenue and 147th Street in Illinois around 12:30pm. The Chicago Tribune reported that the impact of the crash killed her instantly and that she was declared dead on arrival an hour later at Oak Lawn's Advocate Christ Medical Center where she was brought after the incident.
"It was a traumatic accident. The impact was so grave--just horrible," Posen Mayor Frank Podbielniak said of the tragic incident.
Podbielniak said the driver of the stolen Charger "will be charged" with reckless homicide.
In an interview with CP, Annette's daughter-in-law said the family is currently busy with the funeral arrangements.
"It's been all over the place. It's been hard," the daughter-in-law said of their "tremendous" loss.
In a similar report, the Chicago Tribune said the paramadics tried to revive Annette but failed. Posen Sgt. Ryan Grab revealed the Charger "was traveling at high speed" when it hit Annette's car but the exact speed is unknown as of writing time because the police need to download this information from the vehicle's data recorder. The Illinois State Police is currently processing the car for DNA.
The Tribune said there were two passengers in the Charger, both of which are 17-year-old. Podbielniak disclosed that the driver suffered a broken femur from the incident and has underwent surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Podbielniak also announced that the teen will be "taken into custody upon release from the hospital."
As per the Tribune, Grab disclosed that both teens "came forward with an attorney and were interviewed as witnesses."
Annette's daughter, Cierra, shared some background information on her mother. Cierra told the Tribune that her mother "barely went anywhere" besides the church after she retired last year as a nurse in a Calumet City elementary school. Annette served her church as a nurse after retirement besides caring for her husband, "two children, and four grandchildren".
"She loved children--that was her calling. A great mom, a great grandmother," Cierra said. "She was very into church and the Lord. She prayed for everybody, she loved everybody, she did right by everybody."
"She didn't deserve that at all," the 27-year-old said.
Meanwhile WGNTV reported that Annette was actually on her way to her daughter that Sunday. Cierra said she saw her mom on Saturday and never thought "it would be the last time" she'll be seeing her.
WGNTV also said that Annette's son, Anthony, is pleading for justice for their loss.
"If it were your mother, you'd want the same. Y'all took her from us on Mother's Day," Anthony said.
