Mokena Native, 38, Killed In Las Vegas Crash Was A Loving Family Man

MOKENA, IL — Cynthia Robertson will always remember her brother for his laugh.

In fact, one time, his laughter got him into trouble in school years before Steve Palmatier grew to be a loving family man who also loved driving his truck and camping in the desert.

Robertson has started a GoFundMe effort to help pay for the funeral expenses for her brother, a Mokena native, who was killed in an automobile accident last week when the vehicle he was driving to the airport was struck by a drunk driver, according to police.

The 38-year-old Palmatier died in the crash, which occurred in Las Vegas at 4 a.m. on June 1 when he and his family were on their way to the airport to travel to Illinois, Robertson said in the GoFundMe.

Police said that the woman who was driving the other vehicle has been charged with driving under the influence after she was arrested after initially fleeing the scene of the accident.

Palmatier’s wife and children were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries, according to media reports. One of the couple’s children remains in critical condition.

As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe to help Palmatier’s family has raised more than $6,700 of a $10,000 goal.

Palmatier lived with his family in Mokena's Grasmere neighborhood growing up and attended elementary, and junior high in Mokena. The 2003 Lincoln-Way High School went on to study industrial engineering at Northern Illinois University.

He married Kristen Palmatier on June 24, 2011, and the couple had two children, Riley (6) and Wyatt (3). His sister says he was very proud of the life he had made with his family in Las Vegas but looked forward to getting back to Illinois to visit his family.

Now, a week after the fatal crash, Robertson will remember her brother’s laugh.

“Steve Palmatier was a kind person who loved to laugh,” she wrote. “As a youth, he got in trouble for laughing too much at school once for one thing, but he said he was laughing at three things and that's why it was so funny.”

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner