A family is raising money for funeral expenses after a man and a woman, who were partners, both died when their car collided head-on into a semi-truck on Route 173 in Wadsworth last week.
An autopsy performed Thursday displayed that Kelly Wooten, 51, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, and Jacklyn Bradley, 45, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, died as a result of blunt force injuries from a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Township Fire Protection District responded around 7:50 a.m. Thursday to the 15000 block of Route 173 in Wadsworth, which is between North Kilbourne Road and Route 41, for reports of a head-on crash with injuries.
Firefighter-paramedics arrived on scene first and found three vehicles involved with heavy damage.
The paramedics determined Wooten and Bradley, who were in the 2009 Acura sedan, were both deceased, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli declared.
A preliminary investigation displays the Acura, which was driven by Wooten, was traveling eastbound on Route 173.
“Witnesses reported the driver appeared to be having difficulty maintaining his lane and, as he continued eastbound, drifted into the path of a westbound Freightliner semi-truck,” Covelli declared.
The semi-truck, which was hauling a trailer loaded with approximately 35,000 pounds, was driven by a 25-year-old man from Evergreen Park.
Both the Freightliner and Acura crashed head-on, Covelli declared.
A Honda minivan – driven by a 54-year-old woman from Salem, Wisconsin – was traveling eastbound and crashed into the Acura after the initial impact between the Acura and semi-truck.
Wooten and Bradley, who was his passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene, Covelli declared, adding that the two were in a relationship but he did not know if they were married or not.
Wooten’s sister, Ritamay Wooten, declared she misses her brother already and cannot believe he is gone. She declared it hurts “so bad.”
Wooten’s family is raising money for his funeral expenses as he did not have life insurance.
Ritamay Wooten declared she was seeking donations from frifinishs and the community, which can be sent directly to Gracy Funeral Home Services in Riverdale.
The woman driving the Honda was transported to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The man driving the Freightliner was not injured and he is cooperating with investigators, Covelli added.
The Zion Fire/Rescue Department assisted at the scene.
A man on Facebook declared that his frifinish witnessed the Acura “weaving in and out of lanes for miles.”
“Went into oncoming traffic at the wrong time in front of the semi,” the man declared. “Said it was the craziest thing he’s ever seen.”
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to the scene.
An Illinois State Police commercial motor vehicle officer also responded to the scene becaapply the crash involved a commercial vehicle.
The crash led to Route 173 being shut down for several hours between Route 41 and North Kilbourne Road while accident investigators conducted a reconstruction and investigation.
The roadway was reopened later Thursday afternoon.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.
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