Ottawa woman identified as victim of Route 251 crash

2 others injured, coroner says

An occupant of a vehicle died after their vehicle overturned Monday on Route 251 near the corner of the Leonore and McNabb blacktop, according to law enforcement at the scene. — An 86-year-old Ottawa woman was identified as the victim of a crash Monday on Route 251 and North 17th Road, between Lostant and Tonica. (Tom Collins)

August 06, 2024 at 4:26 pm CDT

An 86-year-old Ottawa woman was identified as the victim of a crash Monday on Route 251 and North 17th Road, between Lostant and Tonica.

Betty L. Gillette was a passenger in a vehicle traveling east on North 17th Road when the driver of that vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign striking a vehicle traveling north, the La Salle County Coroner’s Office said in a Tuesday news release.

The female driver in the vehicle traveling east was taken to an area hospital. The female driver of the vehicle traveling north was flown to a Peoria area hospital by OSF’s Life Flight helicopter, the coroner’s office said.

A forensic investigative autopsy will be conducted Tuesday, with preliminary results pending. The crash is under further investigation by the La Salle County Coroner’s Office, La Salle County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police Reconstruction Unit.