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Rollover crash kills recent Wauconda High graduate who was working for school district

A recent Wauconda High School graduate working this summer as a temporary employee for Wauconda Unit School District 118 died Wednesday in a rollover crash that closed Route 12 near Volo for several hours.

Lake County Sheriff's police say the 18-year-old Volo woman was driving a 2000 GMC pickup truck, which was carrying a sealcoating tank, north on Route 12 near Case Road at about 7:15 a.m. when it veered off the east side of the road. Authorities say the driver overcorrected, likely causing the vehicle to roll.

The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the pickup truck and pronounced dead at the scene.

Her passenger, an 18-year-old Wauconda woman and fellow 2019 Wauconda High grad, was wearing a seat belt and sustained minor injuries. She was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington with nonlife-threatening injuries, sheriff's police said.

Wauconda High School officials made counselors available for staff, students, and community members Wednesday.

"It's with a heavy heart that we share that a Class of 2019 Wauconda High School graduate and a summer/seasonal Wauconda School District employee passed away in an automobile accident this morning. Our condolences go out to the family and friends," the district announced on its website, www.d118.org,

"As a parent, you may want to talk with your child about death because it impacts each person in different ways. How children react will depend on the relationship they had with the person who died, their age, and their prior experience with a loss," the message reads.

The Lake County Coroner's Office responded to the scene Wednesday morning and will conduct an autopsy Thursday.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Unit.

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