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Two drivers killed in Barrington Hills crash

Police blame alcohol for a head-on collision Thursday on Dundee Road in Barrington Hills which killed the drivers of the two vehicles involved.

Crews were called at 4:19 p.m. near the Barrington-Barrington Hills border just west of Dundee Lane on Dundee Road, which is also known as Route 68, Barrington Hills police said.

A tan 2004 Nissan Maxima, driven by 24-year-old Oscar Arce from North Aurora, crossed the solid yellow line while traveling east on Route 68 and smashed into a white 2002 Buick LeSabre driven west by 84-year-old Sarah Yaple of St. Charles, police said. The road's speed limit is 55 MPH.

Doctors pronounced both dead at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, police said. Paramedics also took a male passenger in the Maxima, Eloy Arce, 25, of North Aurora, to the hospital. A hospital representative said he was in fair condition Thursday evening.

A police statement said only that alcohol was a contributing factor, and police declined to elaborate on that or how Eloy and Oscar Arce were related.

Crews cut open the Maxima to try to rescue those trapped. The car lay on its driver's side with the front driver's-side wheel caved in. The white LeSabre rested on the opposite side of the road about 500 feet from the Maxima. The front of the LeSabre also suffered heavy damage. Both vehicles faced west as crews tended to the wreckage.

Around 6:15 p.m., crews from the Barrington-Countryside Fire Protection District began to leave. Barrington Hills police handled the investigation, as Route 68 between Hawthorne Road - also known as Rt. 59 - and Barrington Road were closed to motorists. Crews from the Major Crash Assistance Team continue to investigate.

Two people were killed in a head-on collision Thursday in Barrington Hills. Bob Chwedyk | Staff Photographer