Aurora Christian High School student killed in 2-vehicle crash
A 16-year old Aurora Christian High School student was killed Tuesday in a crash that injured two others near Elburn, police say.
Nathan Kok, 16, of Oswego was the passenger in a Mazda 6 driven by a 17-year-old boy from North Aurora, according to a news release from the Kane County sheriff's office.
The two-vehicle crash occurred about 4:35 p.m. on Main Street between Green and Bunker Roads, police said.
A preliminary investigation determined a Jeep Compass driven by Sergio Espana, 20, of Batavia, was westbound on Main Street, and the driver of the Mazda, Tyler Hammer, was traveling east on Main Street when the Mazda crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the Jeep, according to the release. Police did not know why the car entered oncoming traffic.
Several passers-by helped Espana and Hammer out of their vehicles, while others tried to extinguish a fire that had started in the Jeep, police said. Firefighters extricated Kok from the car.
Each of the three people involved in the crash were wearing seat belts, police said.
Kok was flown to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he died about 7:30 p.m., according to the release. Hammer and Espana were taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva with injuries police said were not life-threatening.
Kok and Hammer attended Aurora Christian High School and were returning home from a regional golf tournament at the time of the crash, police said.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the school expressed sadness over the death of Kok.
"Nate Kok was a great student, committed athlete, and faithful friend who was a positive example to everyone around him," the school said in the posting. "While we are grieving deeply with the Kok family and as a community, we also have peace and hope knowing that Nate is now with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
The school also offered prayers and support for Hammer as he begins recovering from the crash.
No citations have been issued and the crash remains under investigation. It is unclear whether alcohol or speed were factors, Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said.
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