DeKalb men identified as victims of double fatal three-vehicle crash near Genoa

GENOA – The victims of a double fatal crash involving three pick-up trucks near Genoa Monday have been identified as DeKalb residents, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

Herminio Rodriguez-Garcia, 38, of DeKalb and Juan Aguado-Correa, 37, of DeKalb were killed as a result of the traffic accident north of Ellen Drive on Illinois Route 23 Monday, according to a Tuesday news release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office and DeKalb County Coroner’s Office, and no charges or arrests have been announced as of Tuesday.

Five other people were injured in the crash and taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb. A sixth patient was treated at the scene and released, authorities said.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office responded to the multi-vehicle crash south of Genoa at 7:57 a.m. and identified eight patients from the three vehicles involved, according to a Monday news release.

Rodriguez-Garcia and Aguado-Correa were pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash occurred when a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by a Genoa man was traveling south on Illinois Route 23 and “crossed over the center line,” the release states. The Silverado collided head-on with a 2001 Ford F250 driven by a DeKalb man. There were five passengers in the Ford F250, including Rodriquez-Garcia and Aguado-Correa.

The Silverado driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

A third vehicle became involved in the deadly wreck when a Rockford man, driving a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, hit the Ford F250 while trying to avoid the crash, sheriff’s deputies said. That man was treated and released on the scene of the crash.

The crash left a 1.2-mile stretch of Illinois Route 23 — from Base Line to Lloyd roads — closed until 11:50 a.m., almost four hours.

More than half a dozen northern Illinois fire departments, including Genoa-Kingston, Sycamore, Hampshire, Kirkland, DeKalb, Maple Park, Belvidere and Burlington, assisted in the emergency response, according to the sheriff’s office.

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office officials did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment.