A mother is being remembered for her “kindness, generosity, and unwavering support” after she was killed in a fiery triple fatal crash near Woodstock that left her daughter seriously injured.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, Woodstock Police Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to Davis Road for a report of a multi-vehicle crash with entrapment.
Police said a 2021 Dodge Challenger Hellcat was traveling westbound on Davis Road and attempted to pass a 2021 Jeep Wrangler in a posted no-passing zone, sheriff’s officials said Monday morning.
The Dodge struck an eastbound 2022 Volvo XC 90 at the top of a hillcrest, causing the Volvo to exit the roadway to the south.
After the impact, the Dodge rotated while continuing westbound and exiting the roadway to the north where it caught fire.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office announced Alex Gonzalez, 18, and Miguel A. Martinez Santiago, 17, both from Harvard, were the individuals in the Dodge.
The Jeep was struck by debris from the crash but managed to avoid a direct impact with the other vehicles, sheriff’s officials said.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said firefighters arrived within four minutes and located a severe crash with the Dodge fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters deployed a hose line to contain the vehicle fire, which had started to spread toward a nearby wooded area, Vucha said.
Vucha said the seriously injured child was transported by ambulance to the helipad at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Woodstock, then a LifeNet medical helicopter flew the child to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
Gonzalez and Martinez Santiago were located inside the Dodge after the fire was extinguished, Vucha said.
Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene.
Coroner officials identified Roeder as the driver of the Volvo.
Roeder was a District 200 classroom aide at Westwood Elementary School in Woodstock.
“She was a huge asset to the Westwood School community. Besides being an employee, she was a very involved parent,” Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 Director of Communications Kevin Lyons said.
Roeder’s daughter was the child who was inside the vehicle when the crash occurred.
Lyons said the school is making sure that students who Roeder worked with are being supported following her death.
Rein said autopsies were completed on Monday and Roeder died as a result of blunt force injuries in the crash.
Toxicology results are pending for all three victims.
Vucha said the driver and young passenger in the Jeep were unharmed and did not require medical treatment.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office shut down Davis Road between Stieg Road and Dean Street for a crash investigation.
The sheriff’s office said the Dodge was speeding and driving recklessly at the time of the crash.
Alcoholic beverage containers were found at the scene and it is unknown yet if alcohol was also a contributing factor.
The occupants in the Volvo were both wearing seat belts and the airbags deployed, sheriff’s officials said.
The investigation remains ongoing by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.