A late-night head-on crash on South Randall Road in Geneva left a 71-year-old woman dead and her adult son fighting for his life, as police say the other driver now faces a stack of felony charges tied to the wreck.
Geneva police and fire crews were called around 9:13 p.m. to the 1000 block of South Randall Road after a blue Chevrolet Camaro reportedly crossed the center line and slammed into a red Nissan Versa, according to CBS Chicago. Authorities identified the Camaro driver as 40-year-old Christian Mares of Aurora and said the woman driving the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Nissan’s passenger, the woman’s adult son, was first rushed to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, then airlifted to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in Chicago with life-threatening injuries, ABC7 Chicago reports. The stretch of Randall Road between Fargo and Kelsinger was shut down for several hours and finally reopened just after 3 a.m.
Randall Road safety concerns
Randall Road, a busy corridor running east to west through several Fox River suburbs, has already been under the microscope for safety issues. A Batavia police review found 767 crashes on Randall Road from 2019 through early 2026, about 16% of all crashes in that city, and urged increased traffic enforcement and a fresh look at traffic signals to help cut collisions, according to coverage in the Kane County Chronicle on Shaw Local.
Charges and investigation
Police say Mares was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing death and great bodily harm, aggravated driving under the influence with no insurance, reckless homicide and aggravated use of a communication device, all felony counts, along with several misdemeanors and traffic citations, per CBS Chicago. The crash remains under investigation by Geneva police, the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Kane County Coroner’s Office, ABC7 Chicago reports.
Mares was booked into the Kane County Jail as he awaits a court appearance. The coroner’s office will complete its review as investigators finalize the crash report, and officials say the inquiry is ongoing. Authorities plan to release additional details, including the identities of the victims, when they determine it is appropriate.
