Police: LITH Teens Pay Respect at Fatal Crash Site, Nearly Hit by Drunken Driver

Two Lake in the Hills teens narrowly missed being hit by a drunken driver last Sunday while lying flowers at a memorial made for Megan E. Hartigan west of Huntley.

Hartigan died following a crash on May 1 in the 14600 block of Marengo Road in the township of Coral and the two 19-year-old Lake in the Hills women had returned to that area on May 13 to pay their respects, said Aimee Knop, public information officer for the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

Around 7:10 p.m., the LITH women told police a vehicle went off the road while traveling west along Marengo Road and hit an embankment and a parked car, Knop said. The vehicle did not hit the LITH women.

"They did see the car coming and ran in the opposite direction," Farner said.

In an e-mail, an Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch.com reader wrote the women were placing flowers at a memorial—a cross—that had been placed at the scene of this month’s fatal crash in memory of Hartigan. The car landed in front of the cross, according to the e-mail.

The driver, Trisha Farner, 22, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, Knop said. She was transported to a hospital for minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the McHenry County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the May 3 fatal and area awaiting the autopsy results, Knop said. Three other teens were injured in the crash.

Jonathan J. Lombard, 21, of Huntley, and Ryan W. Hanks, 18, of Huntley, were taken to area hospitals and listed in critical condition following the crash. The name of a fourth occupant in the car, a juvenile female, was not released by the McHenry County Sheriff's office

Sunday's one-vehicle accident marks the third crash that occurred in 2012 along Marengo Road— two of which were fatal crashes. 

A 19-year-old Huntley woman died in a crash just two miles west of where the two recent crashes occurred. Jennifer M. Kearns was ejected from the vehicle following at 8:06 p.m. on Feb. 23 and pronounced dead at the scene.

Distracted driving caused that accident, Knop said.

The roadway itself is not believed to be the issue, Knop said. From 2009 to 2011, no serious crashes were reported on Marengo Road.

"The sheriff's office will increase patrol with DUI, seatbelt and speed — specifically on Marengo Road," Knop said.