The coroner’s office has identified a 35-year-old man and his 63-year-old mother who were both killed after their car struck several trees near Richmond.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Richmond Fire Protection District responded around 10:20 p.m. May 17 to the 7900 block of East Tryon Grove Road in unincorporated Richmond for a vehicle crash with injuries.
An investigation showed a 2001 Toyota Camry, driven by Benjamin Schalk, 35, of Wonder Lake, was traveling eastbound on Tryon Grove Road west of Keystone Road, according to McHenry County Sheriff Sgt. Aimee Knop.
The Toyota failed to navigate the curve in the roadway and drove off the road to the south where it struck multiple trees.
Benjamin Schalk and his mother, Colleen Schalk, 63, of McHenry, who was in the passenger seat, were were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
The driver was wearing his seatbelt while the woman in the passenger seat was not wearing hers, Knop said. There were no other occupants in the car.
Airbags did not deploy in the vehicle and weather is not believed to be a contributing factor in the crash, Knop said.
The roadway was closed for approximately five hours while the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit conducted an investigation.
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District and Spring Grove Fire Protection District also assisted at the scene.
Toxicology reports are pending through the coroner’s office.
The investigation into the crash continues by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.