Mom leaving St. Patrick’s Day festivities hit by suspected drunken driver, police say

COTTLEVILLE, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – A 36-year-old woman was hit by a car Saturday night while walking back with friends from a St. Patrick’s Day event.

The victim, identified as Lindsay Jaco, and two friends were walking along the shoulder of Highway N in Cottleville, Missouri, just before 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Missouri Highway Patrol investigators say that’s when a 59-year-old woman hit Jaco from behind, leaving her with critical injuries.

Jaco suffered a severe head injury and was unconscious when she was taken to the hospital.

Kelly Heineneyer, Jaco’s mother, said the situation has been horrible for the family.

“We’re still pulling for her and praying for her, and helping her get through this, and God willing, she will,” Heineneyer said.

Jaco, a mother of two, remains in critical condition, but she showed signs of improvement on Monday. Doctors were able to remove her from a ventilator, and she was able to communicate with family.

“She’s a great mom of her two little babies, she’s just trying to pull through for her kids,” said Madison Ruzicka, Jaco’s sister.

The driver, identified in the crash report as Antoinette Bayless, 59, was arrested on suspicion of DWI. She has since been released, pending the application of warrants.

The community is now questioning whether more could be done to ensure the safety of people during St. Patrick’s Day activities.

However, Cottleville Police Chief Dave McCune said this is the first time he’s ever heard of a crash like this during the holiday event.

The annual St. Patrick’s Day event is not city-sponsored, but it is put on by several businesses. According to McCune, there were between 20,000 to 30,000 people who attended this year, the largest crowd they’ve seen in years.

McCune said police are looking into several changes for the future.

“We could absolutely shut Highway N down, and that’s something we’re looking at moving forward, but there’s a lot of things that come into play with that,” he said.

McCune said there were three other DUI arrests and several other assaults during the event this year.

Jaco’s family started a GoFundMe page to help with her long road to recovery.

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