Family mourns 19-year-old; crash details not yet released
Peggy Lamarche said her 19-year-old daughter Heather was the most talented and caring person she has ever known.
"She was so musically talented that she could hear something and play it," Peggy said Sunday. "She was so artistic that she could really just think about something and picture it in her head and do it. It was amazing."
The 19-year-old Mundelein girl died this weekend in a car accident near Fairfield and Bonner roads in Wauconda.
Lake County sheriff's officials declined to release any details about the crash, citing the pending investigation. Details would be provided today, police said.
At least five other people were hurt in Friday night's accident, fire officials said. The victims were taken by ambulance to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. Their conditions were not available Sunday.
Wauconda fire officials tried to get an emergency helicopter to respond to the crash but were told they would not fly.
It was unclear how many cars were involved or who was in which car. Heather Lamarche was driving one of the cars, fire officials said.
Peggy Lamarche said Sunday that she didn't know anything more about the accident and was waiting for word from police about the circumstances surrounding her daughter's death.
On Sunday, as she prepared for her daughter's funeral, she recalled her daughter's love of living creatures.
"She loved nature. She loved bugs, and she loved animals. It was funny, she would always be an animal for Halloween because she loved them so much," Peggy said. "She was our walking encyclopedia. You ask for a simple answer, and she would go on about the whole meaning of the word. She was truly gifted."
An autopsy Saturday showed Lamarche died of head injuries, internal injuries and multiple trauma wounds. Toxicology results on Lamarche will be available today.
The wake for Heather Lamarche will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kristan Funeral Home, 219 W. Maple Ave., in Mundelein. A Mass celebrating her life will be held Wednesday at St. Mary's of Vernon Catholic Church, 236 U.S. Highway 45, in Indian Creek.