Bartlett police: Could take a week to determine circumstances of deadly crashes
This story has been edited to correct the misspelling of a name provided by the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Authorities Monday identified three people killed in two separate crashes Sunday in Bartlett, but they said it could take a week for their ongoing investigation to explain the circumstances of both tragedies.
Bartlett Deputy Police Chief Geoffrey Pretkelis said he does not expect any further information about the investigation to be released until next week, after a meeting between his department and the Major Case Assistance Team's Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team.
"We want to do a very thorough investigation," Pretkelis said.
Katheryn Wirsing, 49, of Winfield died in the first crash, a head-on collision at 10:40 a.m. Sunday on Route 59 near Auburn Lane.
About two hours later, Darion Garner, 25, and Natasha Lawson, 31, both of Streamwood, died in a single-vehicle rollover crash that injured five others riding in the Ford Escape Garner drove.
Garner's SUV was heading west on Lake Street/U.S. Route 20 near the westbound ramp from Route 59 when he lost control about 12:45 p.m., police said. The vehicle rolled over, left the road and hit a chain-link fence and utility pole.
Garner and Lawson died at the scene as a result of multiple blunt force injuries from a vehicle striking a fixed object, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The five other passengers were taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin and St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates with injuries not considered life-threatening, authorities said
Wirsing was driving a Ford Fiesta north on Route 59 when her car crossed the centerline and hit an oncoming Subaru WRX near Auburn Lane, police said. She was taken to St. Alexius Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m. Sunday. The medical examiner determined her cause of death to be multiple injuries from a motor vehicle collision.
The driver of the Subaru was taken to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
Bartlett police were not providing an update Monday on the conditions of the survivors because of health privacy laws, Pretkelis said.