Mother relieved after aggravated charges in car crash that killed young woman and friend from Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — A mother has fought doggedly for justice for nearly 10 months after losing her daughter in a car crash on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and charges have now been upgraded against the driver.

In March Sandy Colon financed eye-catching billboards she herself read: “Please remember, drive carefully.”

Her daughter Jaida Victoria Rosado Colon, 24, was one of two people killed in an accident on DuSable Lake Shore Drive at 31st Street on October 31 of last year. Nearly 10 months later, the sounds and images of summer on the baseball field in Humboldt Park where she played softball are present — but there is also an emptiness.

“She loved softball,” Sandy Colon said. “She grew up in the Humboldt Park community.”

Colon hangs a picture of her daughter every Sunday during softball season to ensure Jaida is remembered.

That Monday night last fall, another vehicle traveling south on 31st Street Drive veered off the road and struck the car Jaida was a passenger in. Police said the other driver was in the far left lane and suddenly changed lanes to take the 31st Street exit.

“It hit the passenger side of my daughter's car,” Colon said. “They lost control, hit a tree and lost their lives.”

The car burst into flames. Jaida was killed along with her friend Jalean Ewing-Gibbs, also 24, who was driving. Two 21-year-old sisters who were in the car with them survived – but Colon said one of them was left paralyzed.

For nearly a year, Sandy Colon pushed for more serious charges to be brought against the driver – who remained at the scene of the accident. Bradley Hamel was initially given only a traffic ticket.

“In the blink of an eye, my baby’s life was taken,” said Sandy Colon.

But this week, the Cook County District Attorney's Office upgraded the charges. Hamel is now accused of two counts of aggravated reckless negligence causing bodily harm and two counts of negligent homicide.

“It has definitely brought a form of peace,” said Sandy Colon. “It's responsibility. It's definitely a step in the right direction.”

Earlier this year, Colon purchased billboards to publicize his daughter's case.

“My pain will never go away,” Colon said. “I'm learning to deal with this emotional rollercoaster.”

This day is already difficult for Jaida's mother, but the next month will be even more difficult. On September 11, Hamel will appear in court on the new charges.

Colon said she was determined to attend every court hearing.

“I hope he thinks about what he did. It was the life of my 24-year-old daughter. It was the life of Gibby, a 24-year-old. It was a 21-year-old girl who is now paralyzed; her twin sister is emotionally traumatized,” she said. “He destroyed dozens of lives. He needs to understand that.”

It's not clear why Hamel left the street so quickly that night. But on a summer night ten months later, Jaida's mother hoped her daughter's image would help save the next person on the street.

“Having a license is a big responsibility,” Colon said. “Sometimes people don't take that into account.”