Excerpts from theChicagoTribune.com:
Two women and a man died after a car crash and fire Friday afternoon McHenry County. The three 18-year-olds died after the crash about 2:10 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Lily Lake Road in unincorporated Nunda Township. The car, a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro, reportedly was headed south when it left the road, collided with several trees, went down a ravine and landed on the driver’s side.
Authorities identified the dead as Kelly Cronin of Island Lake, James Seward of McHenry, and Promise Williamsen of Holiday Hills.
Williamsen was a student at McHenry County College, according to a statement posted Saturdady on the community college’s website. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of MCC student, Promise Williamsen, who passed away from being in a car accident on Friday,” the statement read.
Seward, who was driving, and Cronin, were pronounced dead on the scene, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said. Williamsen, the vehicle’s owner who was seated in the front passenger seat, was taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, where she was pronounced dead.
“I pulled up about three or four minutes after it happened,” said Rick Schwans, who owns a nearby horse farm. “I couldn’t tell what happened. It was a horrific accident. I was trying to help get the bodies out.” He saw three young people in the small blue car, which appeared to have hit a tree and was overturned in a ditch off Lily Lake, south of Wegner Road. “I tried to move the seats to get them freed up,” said Schwans, who described feeling helpless without tools or a fire extinguisher.
A woman who arrived before him had already called paramedics, who arrived soon afterward, he said. “She is the one who really saved the day by calling the paramedics and telling them what was going on,” Schwans said.
