Elgin man killed in St. Charles car crash

Elgin man died after the SUV he was driving crashed into a tree on Kirk Road Monday afternoon.

St. Charles Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the 100 block of S. Kirk Road for an accident with injuries at approximately 3:43 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18.

Officers located the involved vehicle next to a tree on the west side of S. Kirk Road facing southeast. The GMC SUV had heavy front-end damage and the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was unresponsive.

The driver was later identified as Manuel Barraza, 66, of Elgin. Firefighters extracted Barraza from the vehicle and attempted life-saving measures.

Barraza was subsequently transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The initial investigation showed that the vehicle had been driving northwest and struck the tree head-on.

Witnesses reported that they had observed the vehicle traveling northbound on S. Kirk Road in the southbound lanes of traffic. The vehicle then exited the roadway, struck a sign and then struck a tree.

The St. Charles Police Department is encouraging anyone who might have witnessed the accident to contact the St. Charles Police Department at 630-377-4435.