Two people were killed in a four-vehicle accident on US 45 in Iroquois County on December 12.
The accident happened at 5:12 p.m. on U.S. Highway 45 at 1190 N. Iroquois County Road, according to Illinois State Police.
Krista A. Woltz-Hernandez, 44, of Buckley, and Julie L. McGowan, 65, of Rantoul, were killed in the crash.
According to the police report, initial investigations indicate that the following occurred: Woltz-Hernandez was driving a black 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 heading south on U.S. Route 45 near 1190 N. Road when Paxton The Sheriff’s Department and Ford County Sheriff’s Department pursued and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck head-on with McGowan’s 2003 black Jeep Wrangler, which was heading north. This caused Woltz-Hernandez’s vehicle to spin and hit the 2004 Green Ford F150 driven by Marco A. Perez Bernal, 36, of Onarga, who was also heading north.
Woltz-Hernandez’s vehicle then swerved and flipped multiple times before coming to a stop on the west side of the road.
Woltz-Hernandez and McGowan were both pronounced dead at the scene. Bernal was taken to an area hospital with injuries.
The fourth vehicle, a 2016 white Toyota Camry driven by Cassandra L. Sosa, a 21-year-old woman from Rantoul, drove through debris and caused a flat right rear tire. Souza and two passengers, Juan Rodriguez, a 21-year-old man from Paxton, and Laura E. Rodriguez, a 47-year-old woman from Paxton, were not injured.
Illinois State Police (ISP) District 21 and ISP Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) District 3 are investigating. The investigation is open and ongoing and no further information is available at this time.
