Huntley Fire Protection District responds to entrapment accident of juvenile occupants
HUNTLEY — On July 5 at approximately 7:35 p.m., the Huntley Fire Protection District (HFPD) responded to a motor vehicle accident in the 44W900 block of Dietrich Road just west of U.S. Route 20 in Hampshire. Initial reports indicated that the occupants of a 2024 blue Hyundai Elantra had sustained critical injuries following the vehicle having exited the roadway and striking a tree.
According to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the driver of the Hyundai, a 16-year-old male juvenile from Huntley, was headed eastbound on Dietrich Road at a high rate of speed, when the vehicle went airborne and exited the roadway.
The driver attempted to gain control of the vehicle and managed to steer the car back onto the road, however, the Hyundai slid sideways and came to a stop after crashing into a tree. Authorities confirmed that the vehicle sustained heavy passenger-side damage due to the crash.
HFPD Battalion Chief Michael Pierce stated that two subjects were still trapped inside the vehicle after emergency personnel arrived on the scene. The first units responded to the accident within six minutes. Firefighters worked for approximately 45 minutes to extract the two passengers who were trapped inside the vehicle.
The rear-seat passenger, a 14-year-old male from Lake in the Hills, was airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago with life-threatening injuries to his head and torso. The second front seat passenger, another 14-year-old male also from Lake in the Hills, was airlifted to Loyola Medicine Children’s Hospital in Maywood to treat a broken femur to his right leg.
The driver of the Hyundai was taken to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital by his parents with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, including having sustained a possible concussion.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division and Kane County Drone Unit are still investigating the crash and have found witnesses that captured the crash as it occurred on video. The witnesses are still being interviewed and the video is still being analyzed.
“It does appear that speed played a factor in the crash, but citations/charges have not been authorized/issued at this time due to the pending investigation,” stated the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in a press release statement. “It is unclear if the airbags deployed or if seatbelts had been used during the time of the crash. It should be noted that this section of roadway is not new to serious and fatal injury crashes that the Kane County Sheriff’s Office has investigated.”
It was added that Dietrich Road is a narrow two-lane rural road with narrow shoulders and multiple crests and dips. Several crash scenes have happened in and around this area due to several significant crests in the road. The speed limit posted is 40 miles per hour.
