NEW BERLIN — It’s been exactly one week since Laura Leatherberry of New Berlin got the painful news that her husband, Ben Oberto, was found dead after a crash in Rosemont, Illinois.
"This is excruciating what I'm going through,” Leatherberry said.
Her husband was driving home to New Berlin from a work dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The original plan was that he would be home to put their 3-year-old son to bed.
“It was a really rainy, foggy, bad weather night,” Leatherberry explained.
She spoke to him on the phone that night and then never heard from him again. Friends and family retraced his route. Which led them to the I-90 Eastbound ramp to Northbound I-294.
Watch: New Berlin woman working to get a guardrail added after her husband's death
"All I know is that it is dangerous,” Leatherberry said about the ramp.
Illinois State Police found Oberto dead in his car which was partially submerged in the creek below the ramp.
"I can't go back in time and bring him back and that's what I want to do. So, I have to look forward and do what's right,” Leatherberry said.
That's why Leatherberry is working to get a full guardrail on the ramp. She thinks it could have saved Oberto’s life.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't do anything,” Leatherberry explained.
She reached out to the congressman who represents the area. His team said they are working on possible solutions.
"I'm just like terrified, I'm going to see the news and see the next family that has to endure this suffering,” Leatherberry explained.
She reached out to multiple departments including the Illinois Department of Transportation and the state's tollway system.
"I had to really fight to find him, and we found him and it wasn't the outcome we wanted. And now I need to fight for his legacy,” Leatherberry said.
If you have any information related to accidents on the I-90 Eastbound ramp to Northbound I-294, Leatherberry wants to hear from you.
You can email her: Laura.Leatherberry.wi@gmail.com
She encourages anyone who wants to help in her fight for a safer ramp to send letters, emails, and call the following lawmakers:
Secretary Omer Osman
Illinois Department of Transportation
Hanley Building
2300 S. Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL 62764
(217) 782-7820
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi
United States House of Representatives
2367 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3711
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