Sheriff’s officials said that a Woodstock woman driving a minivan failed to yield at a stop sign and was struck by a septic truck, leaving her and the 63-year-old truck driver critically injured near Marengo Thursday.
The Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts, Marengo Police Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:41 p.m. Thursday to the intersection of Maple Street and West Coral Road in unincorporated Marengo for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said crews arrived and found a serious two-vehicle crash involving a passenger vehicle and a small semi-truck.
A preliminary investigation shows a 2026 Honda Odyssey minivan, driven by a 39-year-old Woodstock woman, was traveling northbound on Maple Street and failed to yield at the stop sign at Coral Road, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
The Honda entered the intersection and was struck by a westbound 2016 Kenworth septic truck, which did not have a stop sign.
The Kenworth, driven by a 63-year-old Harvard man, belonged to Arrow Septic & Sewer based in Woodstock.
The front end of the Kenworth struck the passenger side of the Honda, sending both vehicles off the roadway and into a ditch at the northwest corner of the intersection, the sheriff’s office said.
Vucha said the Honda had rolled over and both drivers were trapped inside their vehicles.
Vucha said additional personnel and resources were requested from the Huntley Fire Protection District, Union Fire Protection District and Woodstock Fire/Rescue District due to the extent of the damage and severity of the injuries.
Two medical helicopters were also requested to respond but were unable to fly due to inclement weather, Vucha said.
Firefighters worked to extricate both drivers, who were the sole occupants of their vehicles.
Both drivers were transported by ambulance to Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital — Riverside in Rockford with critical, life-threatening injuries, Vucha said.
The intersection was shut down in all directions for several hours while emergency crews operated at the scene and while the crash was investigated.
The roadway reopened shortly before 8:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
No citations or charges have been announced as the crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit.