Chicago CEO and spouse among 4 dead in wrong-way Bay Area collision

Four people were killed early Thursday when an intoxicated driver traveling the wrong way slammed into a taxi on U.S. Highway 101 in the San Francisco Bay Area, authorities said.

Both drivers and the taxi’s two passengers, identified as a Chicago financial services company executive and his wife, were killed.

Emilie Ross, 34, was driving south in the northbound lanes of the highway while impaired early Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol. Around 12:30 a.m., Ross’ vehicle collided with a Ford taxi, killing its driver, Berkant Ahmed, 42, and his two passengers, Judson Bergman, 62, and Mary Miller, 57.

All four died at the scene.

The northbound lanes of the highway were closed for more than six hours, the CHP said.

The incident marked the 25th wrong-way crash in the region in 2019, according to the CHP. This year, officers have made almost 7,800 arrests in the Bay Area for driving under the influence — an uptick from 2018, the agency said.

Bergman was the founder and chief executive of Envestnet, which provides software for independent investment managers, the company said.

In a statement, company officials described Bergman as a “remarkable leader whose vision, brilliance and drive built the foundation for Envestnet’s success.”