• 2:20 PM WEDNESDAY UPDATE

A 41-year-old Elgin woman was killed and two others were injured around 7 a.m. today (Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018) when the woman’s SUV slid on the icy surface of IL Route 31 near North Aurora, crossed into oncoming traffic and was struck by a PACE bus, causing chain-reaction collisions with two other vehicles.

According to an updated news release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the initial investigation indicates that a Mercury Mountaineer SUV driven by Monica Cruz, 41, of Elgin was traveling north on Route 31 north of Oak Street in unincorporated Batavia Township, when the SUV appeared to lose control due to the icy road conditions and crossed the center line.

The SUV entered the southbound lane of traffic, where it was struck by the PACE bus driven by Joeann Lawson, 52, of Aurora traveling south on Route 31, Kane County Administrative Director Pat Gengler said in the news release. There were two passengers on the bus at the time of the collision.

The bus then pushed the SUV back into the northbound lanes of traffic, where the SUV struck a northbound Honda Civic driven by Mark Williams, 50, of Oswego. The SUV then was struck by a GMC van driven by Raul Gomez-Cabanas, 62, of Aurora that was traveling north on Route 31.

Cruz was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Lawson, who had been driving the bus, and one of her passengers, 56-year-old Fred Blue of Aurora, were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.

The two other drivers, Williams and Gomez-Cabanas, were uninjured. A second passenger on the PACE bus, Micha Schattke, 19, of Batavia, also was uninjured.

“The icy road conditions this morning appear to have played a role in this crash,” Gengler said.

The crash remains under investigation, and no citations have been issued.

Route 31 was closed between North Aurora and Batavia until 11 a.m., while the crash was being investigated.

SOURCE: Kane County Sheriff’s Office