Tragedy claims lives of police officer, talented lawyer
By Jason Arndt
Editor
A horrific vehicle crash on a snowy afternoon in the Village of Yorkville Feb. 9 claimed the lives of two people heavily devoted to their respective professions and families.
While one was a dedicated City of Racine police officer, the other had an established career as an attorney. Both deaths left families and colleagues in mourning.
The deaths came as a result of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 20 near 63rd Drive that also injured eight other people.
Attorney Elizabeth Olszewski, 32, a native of Union Grove, died that day while long-time City of Racine police officer Jennifer Diener, 48, who was in a different vehicle, passed away a week later.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office, which did not specify details about whom was in which vehicle, said a preliminary investigation revealed a vehicle traveling east on Highway 20 near 63rd lost control and crossed the center line striking a westbound vehicle.
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Diener’s death marks the second tragedy for the City of Racine Police Department within a ye ast June, Diener’s colleague, John Hetland, died while trying to stop an armed robbery at a City of Racine tavern when he was off-duty.
Racine Police Chief Art Howell, according to multiple sources, said the two were sworn in as officers on the same day.
Rising star
Olszewski, an Illinois-based attorney at Salvi, Schostok and Pritchard P.C., was best described as a rising star with unlimited potential by Managing Equity Partner and Chairman Patrick A. Salvi.
“Elizabeth was a very promising young lawyer with a very bright future. She was as kind and sweet as can be, but tenacious and meticulous about her work. It breaks my heart that we will never get to see all the wonderful things Elizabeth was destined to accomplish for her clients,” he wrote in a legacy tribute on his law office’s website.
Olszewski, a seven-year partner at the firm, grew up in Union Grove and graduated from Union Grove High School before obtaining an undergraduate degree at UW-Parkside.
She then graduated cum laude from John Marshall Law School in Chicago and worked for a plaintiff’s personal law firm in Racine before joining Salvi’s agency seven years ago.
Salvi said Olszewski was just returning to Racine County with her family, including a toddler niece and nephew, after watching a performance of the Lion King at a Milwaukee theater.
At least two of her family members suffered serious injuries, however, Salvi said her niece and nephew remained relatively safe in their car seats.
“She was only 32, she really was such a terrific person, everyone loved her, the clients loved her,” Salvi said in a Tuesday phone interview. “She was really up and coming.”
Salvi said Olszewski had such a profound impact on the law profession in a short time.
He noted she won multi-million dollar settlements for clients, including one for $6.6 million, as well as contributing to community service projects in the Waukegan area.
“She only practiced seven years and she had several multi-million dollar settlements,” Salvi said on Tuesday. “She accomplished some things that other lawyers don’t accomplish in their whole career.”
Olszewski, meanwhile, volunteered with the “Waukegan 2 College” program, a nonprofit group focused on offering help to students who have limited abilities in navigating college application processes such as language or financial barriers, her law firm’s legacy page states.
Olszewski served as a mentor for one Lake County student whom she met with on a regular basis to guide her through the process.
She resided in Mount Pleasant and commuted to her firm’s Waukegan office for work.
Olszewski was offered a chance to work at her firm’s main office in Chicago, but according to Salvi, Olszewski wanted to remain closer to her family.
“She was really devoted to her family and they were all in the area, so she wanted to stay in our Waukegan office,” he said on Tuesday. “It is tough, she was here seven years, very beloved and respected. It is a pretty gut-wrenching thing for our office and her family.”
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return messages seeking an update on conditions of others involved in the crash.
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