The sheriff’s office says it appears speed was a factor when a car went airborne and crashed into a tree, leaving three McHenry County teenagers seriously injured near Huntley.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Huntley Fire Protection District responded around 7:32 p.m. Friday to the area of 44W911 Dietrich Road, which is an unincorporated area north of Hampshire and west of Huntley, for a vehicle crash with injuries.
A preliminary investigation shows that a 2024 blue Hyundai Elantra had left the roadway and struck a tree, resulting in serious injuries to occupants in the car.
The incident occurred on Dietrich Road west of Brier Hill Road.
The Hyundai, driven by a 16-year-old Huntley boy, was traveling eastbound on Dietrich Road at a high rate of speed, according to the sheriff’s office.
The car went airborne and exited the roadway. The driver attempted to gain control of the Hyundai and returned the vehicle back onto Dietrich Road.
The Hyundai then slid sideways and came to a stop when the vehicle struck a tree, the sheriff’s officials said.
The vehicle sustained heavy passenger-side damage from hitting the tree.
Two passengers in the car, both 14-year-old boys from Lake in the Hills, were left trapped inside the car.
Firefighters worked for approximately 45 minutes to free both of them from the wreckage, according to Huntley Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Michael Pierce.
The 14-year-old boy who was in the rear passenger seat was flown to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago with life-threatening injuries, including to his head and torso.
Sheriff’s officials said the 14-year-old boy who was in the front passenger seat was flown to Loyola Medicine Children’s Hospital in Maywood with life-threatening injuries, including a broken femur to the right leg.
The 16-year-old driver was driven to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital by his parents. He suffered serious but non-threatening injuries, which included a possible concussion.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division and Kane County Drone Unit are still conducting an investigation into the crash.
Investigators have found that a witness or witnesses captured the crash on video as it occurred, sheriff’s officials said. They are still being interviewed and the video is still being analyzed.
The sheriff’s office said it appears that speed played a factor in the crash but citations and charges have not been issued yet due to the pending investigation.
It is unclear if the airbags deployed or if seatbelts had been used at the time of the crash.
The sheriff’s office said this section of roadway is not new to serious injury and fatal crashes.
Dietrich Road is a narrow two-lane rural road with narrow shoulders and multiple crests and dips.
Several crash scenes have been located in and around the particular area due to the significant crests in the road. The speed limit posted is 40 miles per hour.
In February 2023, a juvenile driving intoxicated caused a rollover crash that left herself and four other teenagers critically injured in the same location.