Photo posted on Lake & McHenry County Scanner Facebook page by Sean Gillette
Photo posted on Lake & McHenry County Scanner Facebook page by Sean Gillette

The coroner has identified the 64-year-old Libertyville woman who died after she crashed her car into a tree, catching it on fire, Friday afternoon.

The Libertyville Police Department and Libertyville Fire Department were called at 2:18 p.m. on Friday to Crane Boulevard between Carter Street and Burdick Street, near Triangle Park, for a report of a car that hit a tree.

Authorities said that police officers arrived first and found a car that had struck a tree and was on fire. The driver, identified as Terri E. Vanderwerff, 64, of the 1100 block of Crane Boulevard in Libertyville, was found unresponsive and trapped inside the car.

Firefighters extricated Vanderwerff and transported her to Advocate Condell Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. She was the only person in the vehicle.

Police officials said that two Libertyville police officers who helped extinguish the fire were also transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center for treatment due to smoke inhalation.

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An autopsy was performed Monday afternoon by Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper who confirmed that Vanderwerff sustained multiple traumatic injuries from the crash. Toxicology reports are pending. Her next of kin has been notified.

The Libertyville Police Department requested the assistance of the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) and the Lake County Coroner’s Office to help investigate the death and the cause of the crash.