A mother was seriously injured and flown to the hospital and her three children were also injured during a high-speed two-vehicle crash near Wonder Lake Friday evening.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Wonder Lake Fire Protection District responded around 9 p.m. Friday to West Wonder Lake Road and White Oaks Road in unincorporated Wonder Lake.
Deputies found a two-vehicle crash involving a 2001 Dodge Ram and a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix with multiple people injured.
The Pontiac, driven by Perla A. Pulido Fuentes, 36, of Wonder Lake, was traveling northbound approaching White Oaks Road, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Dodge, driven by a 17-year-old male from Woodstock, was stopped on White Oaks Road about to turn southbound onto Wonder Lake Road.
The vehicles collided in the intersection and resulted in the 17-year-old boy being ejected from the Dodge. He was transported by a LifeNet medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Fuentes was extricated from the Pontiac by firefighters and transported by a Mercyhealth REACT medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center.
Three children who were in Fuentes’ vehicle were transported by ambulances to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry. One of the juveniles was later transferred to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for additional treatment.
All victims involved in the crash are expected to survive, police said.
The sheriff’s office said that speed is believed to be a contributing factor to the crash. The 17-year-old driving the Dodge truck was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and received a citation.
Fuentes was issued six traffic citations, including speeding 31-30 mph over the limit, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, transportation of open alcohol and three counts of endangering the health and life of a child. She is expected to appear in court on December 15.
The crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.