21-year-old man killed in Carpentersville crash

A 21-year-old Crystal Lake man was killed Wednesday in an early morning crash in Carpentersville that also injured his male passenger, police said.

According to police, Cody A. Welch was driving a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta when it struck a tree. Police said Welch lived in the 200 block of Ridge Avenue in Crystal Lake.

Police and fire personnel responded to the accident at about 12:35 a.m., on the 0-99 block of North Western Avenue, also known as Route 31.

According to police, Welch was driving south on Route 31 when the vehicle left the road and hit a large tree.

“Speed contributed to the accident, but we can’t make any further determinations,” Cmdr. Timothy Bosshart said late Thursday.

Welch and his passenger were taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where Welch was pronounced dead. The passenger remained in the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries, police said.

Officers are still investigating the cause of the accident.

The Kane County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy Friday morning. A toxicology exam will follow but the results won’t be ready for another six weeks, Bosshart said.