Teen Dies After Car Plunges Into Sand Quarry
OTTAWA, Ill. (CBS) -- A 17-year-old boy died Monday night, when his car plunged into a quarry in southwest suburban Ottawa.
LaSalle County Sheriff's police said the car was heading west on Main Street, when it crossed the T-intersection at Boyce Memorial Drive, crashed through a fence, and went into a sand quarry owned by U.S. Silica Co. The quarry has a 60- to 70-foot drop before reaching the surface of shallow water at the bottom.
Around 10:45 p.m., crews were able to use heavy rigging equipment to haul the car out of the water and onto a flatbed tow truck above the quarry.
The driver, 17-year-old Zachary Behrens, of LaSalle, was pronounced dead, according to the LaSalle County Coroner's office.
The coroner's office said toxicology tests would take some time to complete to determine if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.
Zachary was an honors student who recently graduated from LaSalle-Peru Township High School. The school was offering crisis counselors to classmates who might need help dealing with his death.