Two recent Central High grads killed when SUV rear-ends bus near Campton Hills

Two people were killed and two others were injured Monday afternoon when the driver of an SUV with three passengers rear-ended a Central Community Unit School District 301 bus carrying more than 30 elementary school students, officials said Monday evening. The students and the school bus driver were not injured.

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said the crash happened about 3:45 p.m. on Empire Road between Burlington Road and Route 47 near Campton Hills.

Investigators believe the driver of the Lexus SUV made no attempt to slow down before crashing into the rear of the school bus, Hain said.

In a news release Monday night, the sheriff's office identified the deceased as a 20-year-old woman Campton Hills woman and a 19-year-old Campton Hills man. Both were passengers in the SUV, the news release said, and both were recent Central High School graduates.

A third passenger, a 17-year-old South Elgin girl, initially was taken to Northwestern Medicine-Delnor Hospital in Geneva, then was airlifted to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago with life-threatening injuries.

The SUV driver, an 18-year-old man from Elgin, was taken to Northwestern Medicine-Delnor Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the news release said.

The school bus was taking Lily Lake Grade School students home for the day, Hain said.

District 301 Superintendent Todd Stirn said parents picked up their children at the scene.

"We are thankful for our parents' calm, patient and cooperative response as we worked together to release their children from the scene," Stirn said Monday night in a statement.

Stirn said counseling will be available to students and staff Tuesday at both Lily Lake Grade School and Central High School.