The father of a 25-year-old woman seriously injured in a crash earlier this month has harsh words for the driver accused of causing the crash and abandoning the scene.
Prosecutors say the driver, 28-year-old Philip Cho, ignored his passengers' pleas to slow down as he drove his BMW along the 700 block of West Erie at 4 a.m. on Sept. 13 following a night of partying. The car sped off a bridge and crashed 45 feet to the ground, leaving four people in the car seriously hurt.
But instead of calling for help, prosecutors say Cho hailed a cab and told his passengers to blame the crash on a carjacker.
One of the victims, Kelsey Ibach, is paralyzed from the waist down due to her injuries.
"My daughter was begging him, 'Please call 911,' and he took off and left," the victim's father, Bob Ibach, said. "What kind of human being does that? And I think I've come up with an answer. A coward."
"She said, 'For a moment there, I just wished I would die.' The paramedics came with the lights, and she said, 'No, I choose to live.'"
A tow truck driver eventually called police, but Kelsey Ibach suffered severe damage to her spinal cord in the crash.
Her family says she's taken on a positive attitude and has dedicated herself to rehab. Friends have also rallied together and raised money on a GoFundme.com web site to help with the soaring medical bills.
"She's a fighter, and she's gonna get through this," Bob Ibach said.
Cho was charged with failing to report the accident and for speeding. He's being held on a $200,000 bond. A message left with Cho's attorney was not returned as of 9 a.m. Thursday.
