DeKalb man suffers serious injuries after 4-vehicle crash, morning fog a factor

Early morning fog that settled heavily onto rural DeKalb County roads Thursday played a factor in a four-vehicle crash that sent two people to the hospital, including one with serious injuries, authorities said.

Two vehicles collided at an intersection, and then a semi-trailer truck driver allegedly failed to yield to the crash and collided with both damaged vehicles.

The crash was reported at 7:09 a.m. at the intersection of Somonauk Road and Fairview Drive south of Cortland, according to a news release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

A white Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old man from Las Vegas, Nevada, was traveling east on Fairview Drive approaching the Somonauk Road intersection when the driver allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign because of the heavy fog, according to the sheriff’s office.

The pickup struck a white 2007 Chevrolet van traveling south on Somonauk Road with a driver and a passenger inside.

While the drivers of the pickup and van were reviewing the damage from the collision, a semi-trailer truck driven by Roberto Padilla of Aurora allegedly failed to yield and struck both vehicles.

The semi-trailer truck crashed into the van, trapping a 26-year-old DeKalb man inside. The man, who was a passenger inside the van, was seriously injured, authorities said.

Chief Deputy Jim Burgh said Padilla told authorities fog also was a factor in the crash. Padilla was cited by the sheriff’s office for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Burgh said he didn’t immediately know more details about the 26-year-old’s injuries, which authorities called “major.”

A fourth vehicle that also had stopped to render aid to the parties involved in the first collision also was damaged by the semi-trailer truck.

The van’s passenger, along with van’s driver, a 33-year-old man from Sycamore, were taken by Cortland paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb.

All those involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, authorities said.

Authorities shut down major roads in the area for multiple hours Thursday while crews responded and cleared the roadway of debris. Burgh said Cortland police helped close Route 38 and Somonauk Road, while sheriff’s auxiliary crews closed Fairview Drive and another portion of Somonauk Road south at Gurler Road.

The roadway was reopened about 10:30 a.m., according to an update on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page.

Both crashes remain under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.