Driver Suspected Of Killing Cyclist In Highland Park Hit-And-Run Faces Wrongful Death Suit

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Nearly six months after a beloved local school board member and Democratic Party activist was fatally struck while riding her bike in Highland Park, prosecutors have yet to file charges.

But that does not mean investigators are still looking for the person who ran over Maureen "Moe" Wener and drove away on the afternoon June 2.

"My son and I deserve answers. Our while family deserves answers," Paul Rundell, Wener's widower, told Patch. "We are grieving together and being patient while the state's attorney's office and the Highland Park police do their jobs, but it has been five and a half months."

After bystanders saw her lying on the pavement at the corner of Deerfield and Piccadilly roads and stopped to help, Wener, 49, was rushed to Condell Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

"There's a person out there who destroyed our family and police know who she is," Rundell said. "It's time for charges to be brought without further delay."

---

Police reports obtained by Patch show a Saint Charles woman showed up at the Highland Park Police Department hours after the crash and briefly cooperated with investigators before hiring a lawyer and declining further comment.

That woman, 41-year-old Melanie Hass, is now the defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in civil court on behalf of the late cyclist's estate, but it remains to be seen if she will face the potential of criminal liability.

In early September, Highland Park detectives turned over the case to the felony review unit of the office of Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart.

Rinehart told Patch Wednesday his office is awaiting expert analysis of digital forensic evidence before making a charging decision. He said his office is still investigating and declined to comment further on the record.

According to police reports, Hass told officers that she had seen an article on social media about a cyclist being struck in Highland Park and came to the station because she "felt terrible about being in the area when this happened."

Hass claimed to be a witness and provided an account the afternoon that places her at intersection where Wener was killed.

Except, in her version of the story — instead of hitting a cyclist — she "went over the curb" while struggling to shift the manual transmission of her Jeep Wrangler. After turning on to Deerfield Road and driving away, she said saw a car behind her move toward the curb but did not know if it struck anything.

"It's just eating away at me that I did not turn around or go back and I just went back to work," said Hass, who provided Highland Park police consent to search her phone and her car.

---

The crash was not captured on video and there were no eyewitnesses who spotted Wener until after she was already on the ground, according to the reports.

But there was the hard evidence recorded by the infotainment system of Hass's 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, data from which was extracted a week after the crash.

According to that moment-by-moment account of its route, the Jeep was at the time and location where Wener was struck.

As it makes a three-point turn onto Piccadilly Road with a lowest speed of 3 mph, the Jeep's system recorded "'Wheel Traction' - 'Possible Wheel Spin'" at 12:36 p.m. — indicating the precise moment when Hass is believed to have struck Wener. The Jeep then drives to the Central Train Station and parks there.

Data from Hass's cell phone shows Hass completed a purchase from a cannabis dispensary in Mundelein at 12:10 p.m., but there is no indication that she ever went there. There were no calls, texts or other messages related to the crash, according to police.

Hass' manager at work said she left for a lunch break at 12:13 p.m. and returned at 12:45 p.m. The company's administrator told detectives that Hass appeared normal all morning, but after she got back from lunch she appeared to be anxious and sounded like she was throwing up in the bathroom.

According to police reports, Hass did not return to work the Monday after the crash, which took place on a Friday, and was terminated from her job in Highland Park.

After taking a statement from her the night of the crash, it appears investigators did not contact Hass again until June 30, when a Highland Park detective says he would like to speak to her about the data from her car and phone.

Initially, she reportedly agreed to talk, but about a week later the detective got a call from an attorney notifying them that she would not be meeting with police again.

Sergei Kuchinski, who is identified as Hass's attorney in police reports, declined to provide any information beyond what police have reported. Hass could not be reached for comment.

---

Wener was active in local politics. At the time of her death, she was a member of the Deerfield School District 109 board and the treasurer of the West Deerfield Township Democrats. Previously, she was executive director of the Tenth Congressional District Democrats and worked for state lawmakers. In an interview for the Tenth Dems newsletter back in 2009, Wener encouraged people to pay attention to the work of their elected representatives.

"Get involved. Otherwise, you can’t complain if you’re not involved. You can be upset, but if you don’t exercise your right to have your voice heard as a citizen, you can’t complain," she said, suggesting Illinoisans learn about legislation by calling up local elected officials and reading up on new laws.

"Even at the local level, you should go to village and township meetings and learn who’s running for office. Perhaps these people are not being written about in the newspaper, but you should still be active and know what’s going on as it affects your schools, libraries, and communities," she said. "All politics are local. Some of these local elections could be the most important elections you vote in!"

Shortly before she was hit and killed by a car, she had taken part in "promotion exercises," handing diplomas to students who had recently completed 8th grade at Caruso Middle School, according to District 109 Superintendent Mike Simeck.

"Maureen’s ready wit, optimism, and affection for our staff punctuated all of her conversations," Simeck said. "We have lost a passionate advocate for our schools, a beloved mother and partner of many of our staff, and a giving community member."

In the wake of her death, the lifelong Democrat was described as an important part of the local community and "a wonderful person who was deeply committed to helping make our world a better place," in a post by Lauren Beth Gash, the local Democratic committeeperson and founder of Tenth Dems.

"I hosted a baby shower for her at my house before she became a mother," Gash said. "I’m stunned and so sad."

---

No hard data was immediately available about the normal turnaround time for charging decisions in the felony review unit of Rinehart's office, but the chief county prosecutor suggested there was nothing out of the ordinary about how it was handling this case.

Last week, Lake Forest attorney Brian Lewis filed a civil wrongful death complaint on behalf of Rundell, as the administrator of Wener's estate.

According to the suit, Hass was distracted, driving too fast, not paying attention and not keeping a proper lookout for pedestrians and bicyclists as she carried out an illegal turn from Deerfield Road onto Piccadilly Road and back onto Deerfield Road.

"In the process of making said U-turn, [Melanie] Hass failed to see, and therefore failed to yield to, Maureen [Wener] who was riding her bicycle," according to Lewis' six-page complaint, which accuses Hass of driving negligently.

"At said time and place, Defendant Hass collided with Maureen and ran Maureen over with her vehicle," Lewis said. "As a result of Defendant Hass’ negligence, Maureen suffered serious injuries which resulted in her conscious pain, suffering and ultimately her death."

There are different criminal charges that prosecutors could seek to pursue against Hass.

A person is guilty of reckless homicide if they kill someone while driving recklessly and if leaving the scene of a fatal crash if they fail to report it to police within a half-hour.

In Hass's case, she had her friend drive her back to Highland Park from Mundelein nearly nine hours after Wener was run over.

In the area's last fatal hit-and-run, 53-year-old Lucinda Rondon-Stanley, of Evanston, was run over by a minivan at Deerfield Bakery in September 2019.

The van, which was driven by Larry Biernacki, the late former owner of Music Center of Deerfield, initially did not stop but later cooperated with investigators after he was taken into custody about a mile and a half away.

Biernacki was later issued a citation for failure to yield while emerging from an alley but prosecutors decided against charging him with hit-and-run. Rondon-Stanley's family sued him and his business, and the case settled shortly before his death last year.

Update: Hit-And-Run Charge Filed In Death Of Cyclist In Highland Park