A Grayslake grandmother is being laid to rest Thursday after she died months after suffering critical injuries in a head-on crash that seriously injured two others on the border of Kildeer and Lake Zurich.
The Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department and Kildeer Police Department responded around 6:15 p.m. on February 20 to the area of Route 22 and Quentin Road in Kildeer for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Fire crews arrived and reported finding a two-vehicle collision with heavy damage and entrapment in the intersection.
Kildeer Chief of Police Steve Balinski said at the time that officers found a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV and a 2025 Toyota Camry sedan.
An investigation showed the Mercedes-Benz was traveling southbound on Quentin Road at Route 22.
The Mercedes-Benz was attempting to make a turn onto eastbound Route 22, Balinski said.
The Toyota was traveling northbound on Quentin Road entering Route 22 when the Mercedes-Benz collided with it.
The driver of the Mercedes-Benz, a 69-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries and was transported by paramedics to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington.
She was later released from the hospital after being treated for her injuries, Balinski said.
Balinski said the driver of the Toyota suffered critical injuries and was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. She remained hospitalized after the crash due to her extensive injuries.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her as Joan Smagacz, 73, of Grayslake.
Smagacz died at Endeavor Health Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights on June 26, just over four months after the crash.
The medical examiner’s office has not ruled her official cause or manner of death but indicated that it was related to the February vehicle crash.
An obituary for Smagacz said she initially suffered multiple fractures that left her immobile for four months. “She was looking forward to returning home when complications arose.”
The passenger in the Toyota, a 78-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries and was transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.
The Kildeer Police Department requested the assistance of the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) due to the life-threatening injuries that Smagacz suffered.
Balinski said there was no indication of impairment being a factor in the crash based on the preliminary investigation.
The Kildeer Police Department, Lake Zurich Police Department, Hawthorn Woods Police Department and members of MCAT responded to the scene.
The intersection was shut down for approximately three and a half hours. Members of the Citizen Emergency Response Team directed traffic during the time the intersection was closed, Balinski said.
The obituary for Smagacz said she leaves behind family and friends and was a grandmother to a grandson.
Smagacz earned an Associate of Science in Biology and spent 10 years as a medical technologist before working for more than 30 years in healthcare customer service.
She was working as a receptionist at UroPartners in Libertyville at the time of her death.
“She loved baking and cooking for her family and friends and was especially known for her breads, which were often the highlight of holiday celebrations. She also enjoyed watching the Hallmark channel, going to the theater and to movies, and spending time with her grandson,” her obituary said.
A visitation was held on Wednesday evening at Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium in Grayslake.
A funeral mass is set to be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda followed by a celebration of life. She will be privately buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
No charges or citations have been announced by the police department.