Drunken dad 'didn’t notice his four-year-old son was EJECTED from SUV in crash' and drove on for miles while toddler lay dying



Franklin Jackson Jr, 4, died from head trauma an hour after being thrown from car



Toddler was ejected on impact after his father slammed twice into guardrail on Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago

Franklin Jackson Sr, 46, only noticed his son was missing when he pulled into gas station four exits away from crash site to check on damage to SUV

Police found empty vodka and beer containers inside the Ford Expedition



Toddler was riding with his parents and three siblings, all under age 3, but was the only one unrestrained

A crash on a Chicago highway has sent a 4-year-old boy flying through the rear window, but police say the child's father who was behind the wheel was too drunk to notice.

Franklin Jackson, 46, of Texas, has been charged in connection to his toddler son's death Sunday on Day Ryan Expressway in Chicago.

According to Illinois State Police, Mr Jackson was heading north on the highway with his wife and four young children at around 4.20pm Sunday when he smashed his Ford Expedition SUV into a guardrail twice.

Bad dad: Franklin Jackson (left), 46, of Texas, has been charged in connection to the death of his 4-year-old son (right), who was ejected from the family SUV through the rear window without his drunken father even noticing



Franklin Jr was ejected from the vehicle on impact, landing on a grass-covered embankment near the 87th Street exit.

The toddler's father reportedly didn't realize his son was not in the car until he pulled into a gas station four exits away to check on the damage to his SUV, Chicago Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, the 4-year-old was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5.25pm.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the boy died from head trauma.

State police said Franklin Jr was among four children under the age of three in the car, but was the only one not wearing a seat belt.

Crime scene: Jackson slammed his SUV twice into a guardrail along Dan Ryan Expressway, sending his son flying onto a grassy embankment

The victim’s 23-year-old mother, who was also in the SUV, and his siblings, two boys ages 1 and 2, and a 3-month-old girl, were not injured in the accident. The father suffered broken ribs.

Defenseless: Police say Franklin Jr, pictured here after his first haircut, was the only one of his four brothers and sisters who was riding in the car unrestrained

Mr Franklin, of League City, Texas, has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence. He was being held on $250,000.

Police officers who responded to the scene found an empty vodka bottle, an empty beer can and an unopened beer in Franklin's car.

According to Prosecutor Maura White, six hours after the crash Franklin's blood alcohol level was .04 per cent, which is below the legal limit, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

But forensic experts estimated that at the time of the collision, his blood alcohol level was between .11 and .15 per cent – nearly twice the legal limit.



Jackson's wife, Linda Bassett, posted a message on her Facebook page Saturday telling her friends how excited she was about traveling to Chicago to visit her family for the holidays.



'Chicago here we come,' the woman gushed. 'Will be there soon.'

Earlier that day, however, the 23-year-old mother of four expressed some concerns about taking the 1,110-mile trip up north.



'Heavenly farther I pray that you watch over me n[sic] my family on this long trip to Chicago,' she wrote.

