A 66-year-old Elgin was killed Monday afteroon in a single-vehicle crash on Kirk Road in St. Charles.
At approximately 3:43pm, St. Charles police and fire personnel were dispatched to the 100 block of South Kirk where they found a GMC SUV on the west side of South Kirk Road. The vehicle was next to a tree, facing southeast, and it had heavy front-end damage. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, later identified as 66-year-old Manuel Barraza of Elgin, was unresponsive.
Fire Department personnel extracted Barraza from the vehicle and attempted life-saving measures. He was subsequently transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
The initial investigation indicates that the vehicle had been driving in a northwest direction and struck the tree head-on. Witnesses reported that they had observed the vehicle traveling northbound on South Kirk Road, in the southbound lanes of traffic. The vehicle then exited the roadway, struck a sign, and struck a tree.
The St. Charles Police Department is encouraging anyone who might have witnessed the accident to contact the St. Charles Police Department at (630) 377-4435.