Off-duty deputy killed while helping stalled motorist

MORRIS, Ill. (AP) - A Cook County sheriff's deputy helping a motorist on a northern Illinois street was killed when the stalled vehicle was struck by another vehicle.

Officer Ronald Prohasca on Sunday was working in the stalled vehicle's engine compartment when the accident occurred on a bridge over the Illinois River in Morris.

According to police, several people were taken from the scene to Morris Hospital for treatment of injuries caused by the crash. Prohasca was airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he died from his injuries.

Authorities say Matthew Taylor of Morris was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed. Morris police says the crash remains under investigation.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department says the 50-year-old Prohasca was hired as a correctional officer in 1994 and became a deputy in 2004.