A 17-year-old girl was killed and five other teenage girls injured in a crash Thursday night in northwest suburban Hampshire Township, which police say may have been caused by distract driving.
A 2005 Toyota Corolla was eastbound on Dietrich Road between Route 20 and Briar Road about 8:20 p.m., according to the Kane County sheriff’s office. It was about to go over the top of a hill when it crossed the center line and went partially into the westbound lanes, hitting a westbound Ford SUV.
Both vehicles rolled over, with the Ford coming to a rest on the north side of Dietrich and the Toyota on the south side, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the Toyota, Brianna Soto of Pingree Grove, was taken to Centegra Hospital in Huntley, where she was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m., according to the McHenry County coroner’s office. An autopsy Friday found she died from blunt trauma to the head and abdomen.
Soto’s passenger, a 17-year-old girl from Pingree Grove, was taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, along with the 16-year-old Lake in the Hills girl who was driving the Ford, according to the sheriff’s office. The Ford’s passengers, two 16-year-old girls from Algonquin and Hampshire, and a 15-year-old girl from Huntley, were also taken to Sherman. All five had injuries that were not life-threatening.
Everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seatbelt, the sheriff’s office said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation Friday, but distracted driving may have played a role, police said.
