April 11, 2010
A suburban woman was killed and three more people injured following a Saturday night crash in northwest suburban Crystal Lake that police suspect involved alcohol.
Police responded to the two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Huntley Road and Waterford Court about 11:48 p.m., according to a Crystal Lake Police Department release.
A 2001 Pontiac Trans Am had been traveling west on Waterford Court before turning southbound onto Huntley when the driver reportedly lost control and entered the northbound lane of Huntley, into the path of a 1994 Jeep Cherokee, according to the release.
The passenger side of the Pontiac struck the front of the Jeep before both vehicles left the roadway and came to rest on the east shoulder of Huntley.
Fire personnel removed four people from the Pontiac. The driver, 23, and a female passenger, 24, were transported to Centegra Memorial Hospital in Woodstock for “serious” injuries. The woman, Vanessa M. Toby, of Schaumburg, later died, the release said.
A 28-year-old woman was taken to Centegra-Northern Illinois Medical Center for “non-life threatening injuries,” while a 25-year-old woman was airlifted by helicopter to Condell Hospital in Libertyville, the release said. Both had been passengers in the Pontiac.
The 34-year-old man driving the Jeep and a 33-year-old female passenger were examined by rescue personnel and released on the scene, the release said.
Alcohol is suspected to have been a factor in the crash, and criminal charges are pending, the release said.
Officials from the Crystal Lake Police Department’s Targeted Response Unit are investigating.