Bartlett police trying to pinpoint cause of crash that killed 17-year-old

Police are investigating if a third driver or distractions played a role in a head-on collision Friday in Bartlett that killed a Chicago teenager.

The collision between a gray Chevy S-10 pickup truck with a driver and two passengers inside and a large white box truck with one occupant was reported between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m., according to Bartlett police Cmdr. Michael McGuigan.

Susanna Kaleta, 17, of Chicago, a passenger in the back seat of the pickup truck, was taken to St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates and died there, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The pickup truck had been traveling south on Route 59 near West Bartlett Road before it apparently crossed the centerline and struck the northbound box truck head-on, McGuigan said Saturday.

Investigators are still piecing together evidence but neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor. Police are considering the possibility of distractions or if another vehicle played a role.

The occupants of the trucks were wearing seat belts. Police do not think speed was a factor but McGuigan noted the limit was 45 mph on that stretch of Route 59, which likely contributed to the significance of the impact.

The driver and front-seat passenger of the pickup truck suffered serious injuries. A helicopter took the driver to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, while the passenger was taken by ambulance to Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin. The driver of the box truck is at St. Alexius with serious injuries.

The names of others involved in the crash have not been released.