Crime & Safety

Police Name Driver in Fatal Route 25 Crash

The 45-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. Here is his identity and how the crash happened.

Police Monday afternoon identified the driver who died at the scene of a two-car crash on Route 25 near Batavia.

The driver is 45-year-old Karl Smith of St. Charles, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office.

Smith was driving a sport-utility vehicle on Route 25 along a curve when his vehicle spun out of control, crossing into opposite traffic, the Sheriff's Office said. Sheriff's deputies responded to the crash north of the Banbury Road intersection at about 9 a.m. Jan. 7.

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The SUV struck a Honda Accord that was traveling south on Route 25. The driver of the Accord, a 60-year-old woman from Batavia, was transported to Delnor Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. She was later released from Delnor Monday afternoon, a Cadence Health spokesman said.

As of Monday, it was unknown if vehicle speed, drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, said a statement from the Sheriff's Office.

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"It does not appear that there will be any criminal charges related to this investigation," the statement said.

The crash narrative is as follows:

A 2005 Ford Expedition was traveling north on Route 25 on a curve and began to spin out of control. The Expedition crossed into the southbound lane of traffic and struck a 2005 Honda Accord that was traveling south.

"The Expedition continued out of control and eventually went off the road on the west side of Route 25 and flipped onto its roof," the Sheriff's Office statement said. "The driver was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated by fire personnel."

The driver of the Ford Expedition, Karl Smith, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Kane County sheriff’s deputies and members of the County Crash Reconstruction Team continue to investigate the crash.

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