Five teens suffer life-threatening injuries in Hampshire Township crash
HAMPSHIRE TOWNSHIP, Ill. (CBS) -- Five teenagers were seriously injured early Saturday when a sport-utility vehicle slammed into a tree on Hampshire Township.
Kane County Sheriff's police were called at 2:50 a.m. for a serious accident on Dietrich Road west of Brier Hill Road in unincorporated Hampshire Township, not far from the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.
As CBS 2's Sara Machi reported, there were still some questions late Saturday about what exactly happened. But investigators believe the teens were speeding on down Dietrich Road, which quickly turns into a series of hills just out of view.
There are, in fact, two signs on the side of Dietrich Road - warning people that "hills block view for the 1 1/2 miles."
Police say the teens were speeding east in a 2019 Honda HR-V when they hit a tree on the side of the road.
At the scene, fresh damage to the tree was visible, along with a trail of broken auto parts that was scattered on the side of the pavement. Those auto parts included a light, and various pieces of the grille and the car body.
There were five teenagers in the car, and all suffered life-threatening injuries.
The 16-year-old girl driving the Honda was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The 15-year-old front passenger – whose gender was unspecified – was taken first to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital in Huntley and then airlifted to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital.
A 15-year-old girl who had been in the back seat was taken first to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin and then airlifted to Lurie Children's Hospital. A 16-year-old girl in the back seat was also taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital and then to Advocate Lutheran General. Another 15-year-old girl who had been a passenger was first taken to Northwestern Medicine Huntley and then to Comer.
Kane County Sheriff's police detectives and the county's Drone Team are investigating. It is not known if drugs or alcohol were involved, and no citations have been issued.
While Machi and her crew were out getting video Saturday afternoon, several people stopped their cars, asking for any updates.
One driver told us he goes slow on his motorcycle through the stretch of Dietrich Road where the accident happened, because it can be so dangerous.
It's an area known for hill-topping – in which people drive speed up to catch air over the hills.
There are several memorials on the side of road for previous accidents.
The Kane County Sheriff's Detectives and Social Workers have been in contact with the families of the victims. They are also notifying the appropriate schools they attend in case of needed additional support or counseling.