Carpentersville motorcyclists killed in McHenry Twp. crash identified

The Carpentersville motorcyclists killed in a weekend crash in unincorporated McHenry Township have been identified as 49-year-old Dennis Edward Spears Jr. and 42-year-old Tanya Schafer, authorities said Tuesday.

A Harley-Davidson motorcycle, driven by Spears, was heading south on River Road about 7:53 p.m. Sunday when it was hit by a Chrysler Town & Country van, according to the McHenry County sheriff's office. The driver of the minivan, a 41-year-old Wonder Lake woman, failed to yield for the motorcycle as she was turning onto Charles J. Miller Road, officials said.

Spears was taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, where he was pronounced dead at 8:45 p.m., McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski said. An autopsy performed Monday determined he died from blunt force injuries to the head and pelvis.

Schafer, a passenger of the motorcycle, died Sunday at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville from multiple injuries, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said.

Sheriff's officials said neither Spears nor Schafer were wearing helmets at the time.

The sheriff's office's Major Crash Investigation Unit, as well as the McHenry and Lake county coroners' offices, are investigating. No citations had been issued as of Tuesday afternoon.