At approximately 2:21 p.m. on Monday, June 9, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Rt. 251 and Chicago Road in rural Lee County, just north of Compton.
The reported collision involved a semi-truck and a pickup truck.
Deputies responded to the scene, along with EMS from the Paw Paw Fire Department. Deputies conducting the investigation discovered that a blue Chevrolet pickup was traveling westbound on Chicago Road at the stop sign intersection with Route 251.
A semi-tractor hauling grain was driving north on Rt. 251 near the intersection with Chicago Road. Witnesses at the scene reported that the blue Chevrolet pickup pulled in front of the trailer and was struck broadside, T-boned, in the intersection.
Chasity J. Stavenhagen of Earlville, age 16, was the driver of the blue Chevrolet pickup. Stavenhagen was declared dead at the scene of the accident.
Stavenhagen’s passenger was identified as Kevin Kain, 20, of West Brooklyn. He was taken to OSF St. Paul Medical Center in Mendota, and then airlifted to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.
Kain was pronounced dead after being admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
The semi’s driver was identified as a 62-year-old male from Sublette. He was unharmed and released from the scene.
Because of the severity of the accident, the roadway at the scene was closed to traffic for several hours. The sheriff’s office dispatched an accident reconstructionist and a drone pilot to investigate the incident.
The Illinois State Police, Paw Paw Fire and EMS, Lee County Coroner’s Office, and the Illinois Department of Transportation all assisted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
The accident is still being investigated.
Reference: Semi, pickup collision north of Compton claims two lives