A passenger was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition over the weekend after a deputy pursued three vehicles from a traffic stop near Gilberts. As those vehicles approached Route 31, a fourth, uninvolved vehicle crashed while trying to exit Interstate 90, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the crashed vehicle was evaluated at the scene and released, while the investigation into the other vehicles involved remains active.
The chain of events began Saturday, when deputies were assisting the Gilberts Police Department with a traffic stop, the sheriff's office said, as reported by CBS News. Three vehicles failed to yield to emergency lights during that stop, prompting a deputy to pursue them eastbound on Interstate 90. The pursuit ended east of Exit 59, per the sheriff's office. As the fleeing vehicles approached Route 31, a fourth, uninvolved vehicle crashed while trying to exit.
Uninvolved Vehicle Crashes While Fleeing Vehicles Approach Route 31
Emergency personnel who responded found a driver and a passenger inside a fourth, uninvolved vehicle that had rolled over while trying to exit. The passenger was first taken by ambulance to a local hospital before being airlifted to another hospital in critical condition, the sheriff's office said. The driver was evaluated at the scene and released without being transported.
The Kane County Sheriff's Office has not released the passenger's age or gender. The agency has also not disclosed the exact time of the crash, which occurred as fleeing vehicles approached Route 31, and no charges or citations tied to the incident have been announced.
Investigation Into Fleeing Vehicles Continues
The sheriff's office said its investigation into the three vehicles that failed to yield to emergency lights remains ongoing. No further details about the vehicles or their occupants have been made public at this stage of the inquiry.
Illinois’ statewide police-pursuit guidelines call for officers to weigh the need for immediate apprehension against risks to officers and the public, considering factors such as speed, road conditions and surrounding traffic. The guidelines say a pursuit should be stopped when its danger outweighs the need for immediate apprehension, but they are advisory: they are intended to help agencies formulate their own policies and do not create legal obligations for individual officers. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board’s pursuit guidelines set out those principles.
The crash has drawn renewed attention to the dangers facing both drivers and law enforcement along busy stretches of Interstate 90 in Kane County, where a routine traffic stop escalated quickly into a multi-vehicle pursuit. Authorities have not indicated when additional updates on the investigation might be released.
The latest annual countywide figures available from the state show the broader traffic-safety backdrop: Kane County recorded 10,445 motor-vehicle crashes in 2024, including 2,589 injury crashes and 29 fatal crashes. Those totals cover the county, not just Interstate 90, and do not identify how many involved pursuits or occurred near Exit 59. The Illinois Department of Transportation’s 2024 crash statistics list the county totals.
