From the Coroner:
McHenry County Coroner’s Office Investigating Car Accident
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein announced that the McHenry County Coroner’s Office was notified by Northwestern Hospital McHenry around 4:00 pm on September 13, 2026 involving the death of Dawn Smith, age 65, of Spring Grove.
Mrs. Smith was involved in a multi-car accident at the intersection of Spring Grove Rd and Rt. 12. She was transported to Northwestern Hospital McHenry where she was pronounced deceased.
An autopsy was performed on September 16, 2026. Preliminary findings show blunt force trauma to the head area as the cause of death.
Toxicology testing is currently pending, and the final cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office continues to work collaboratively with the Spring Grove P.D., McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and McHenry Township Fire Protection
District during this investigation. From the McHenry County Sheriff:
Fatal Crash in Spring Grove
One person is dead and multiple people were injured following a four-vehicle crash involving a Spring Grove Police Department squad car in Spring Grove on Sunday.
On Sunday, September 13, 2026, at about 2:05 p.m., members of the
- McHenry County Sheriff’s Office,
- Spring Grove Police Department,
- Richmond Police Department,
- McHenry County Conservation Police Department,
- Spring Grove Fire Protection District,
- Fox Lake Fire Protection District, and
- MercyHealth MD1
responded to a serious crash at the intersection of US Route 12 and Winn Road in Spring Grove.
The preliminary investigation shows a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, a Spring Grove Police Department squad car, was traveling westbound on Route 12 with its emergency lights and siren activated while responding to a call for service in another jurisdiction.
The traffic signal for westbound Route 12 was red as the Tahoe entered the intersection.
While entering the intersection, the Tahoe collided with a 2015 Kia Soul traveling southbound on Winn Road.
The collision caused the Tahoe to enter the eastbound lane, where it struck a 2022 Jeep Compass head-on.
The Jeep was then struck by an eastbound 2023 Honda CR-V.
A 65-year-old female occupant of the Kia Soul was transported to Northwestern Hospital -McHenry, where she was pronounced deceased.
Another occupant of the Kia, a 65-year-old male, was flown to Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford with serious injuries. The driver of the Tahoe, a 60-year-old male, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
The driver and passenger of the Jeep were also transported to a local hospital and later released. The driver and two passengers of the Honda CR-V were not injured.
More information will be released as it becomes available. The crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit.
