A Justice, Illinois, grandmother says she is incredibly lucky to be alive after a terrifying incident on Chicago’s Southwest Side last Friday when a massive chunk of concrete crashed through her windshield on Interstate 55.
Oksana Kovalchuk, 53, was driving to work when a 2-foot-long slab of concrete reportedly fell from an overpass and struck her SUV’s windshield near I-55 at Pulaski.
Kovalchuk, speaking to ABC7 on Monday, recounted the traumatic moment: “I don’t see nothing. I just heard ‘boom,’ and everything get dark.” When she opened her eyes, the chunk of debris rested dangerously close to her head.
The grandmother was hospitalized with multiple lacerations to her face, neck, and hands. She also suffers from intense stress and severe headaches, stating, “I could not sleep because I have stress, or something, and my head is real, like painful.”
Kovalchuk’s daughter, Victoria Petriv, expressed the family’s profound relief and lingering trauma. “We’re lucky, not just her. The family is lucky that she’s alive. It’s unbelievable,” Petriv said. She noted that a secondary piece of concrete broke off and bounced into the back seat.
The family is demanding answers, with Petriv stressing, “Someone has to be responsible for this. This should have never happened. Never.”
IDOT Response Under Scrutiny
The incident immediately raised serious questions about local infrastructure safety. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) confirmed that the bridge was last inspected in October 2024 and found no major issues.
Since the event, IDOT says it performed multiple inspections and has not seen any loose concrete. An IDOT spokesperson stated the agency performed “preventative measures” out of caution but did not elaborate on what those actions were.
Kovalchuk, however, says that no authorities have yet reached out to her to discuss next steps or the investigation.
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