The McHenry County Coroner has identified the 27-year-old Rockford woman killed in a head-on crash caused by distracted driving in Union on Wednesday.
The Marengo and Union Fire Protection Districts and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office were called at 9:39 p.m. to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Route 176 east of Union Road in unincorporated Union.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said that a 2005 Honda Civic, driven by 27-year-old Sarah E. Wells from Rockford, was driving westbound on Route 176. It then veered into the oncoming lane of traffic where it crashed into an eastbound 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by a 24-year-old man from Marengo.
Wells was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep was transported by Marengo paramedics to Centegra Hospital-Huntley. He was later transferred to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where he remains in critical but stable condition.
An autopsy performed on Friday showed that Wells died from blunt trauma to the head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis, the McHenry County Coroner said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said that both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash and that cell phone use was a contributing factor in the crash. It is unknown yet if alcohol or drugs were also factors.
The crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.