Former Miss Crystal Lake dies in crash
Twenty-year-old McHenry County College student and former Miss Crystal Lake 2007 died from injuries sustained Friday in a car crash while on the way to visit her future college with friends.
Shannon Marie McCarty was headed to Champaign when the vehicle she was riding in was struck by a semi trailer truck near the intersection of Route 73 and Route 20 near Lena, west of Rockford, Illinois State Police said in an accident report.
McCarty was a passenger in a 2002 Toyota Camry driven by Laura Okeeffe, 20, of Crystal Lake; and passenger Jennifer Sarff-Baker, 19, also of Crystal Lake, when Okeeffe realized she was lost and tried to turn around, police said.
A police report said Okeeffe attempted to turn left onto eastbound Route 20 from Route 73 and failed to yield to an eastbound semi truck, driven by Ilieve Zdravko, 30, of Mount Prospect, when the crash occurred around 1:49 p.m.
Okeeffe, of the 6400 block of Scott Lane, told police she thought she was traveling south on I-39, but when she realized she was driving on Route 73, she made a U-turn to go north on Route 73 to get back to Route 20 and head east, police said.
The 2005, two-axle semi trailer, carrying 22,500 lbs. of freight, struck the right front fender and front passenger door of the Camry, causing both vehicles to spin out and come to rest in separate ditches, the report said.
McCarty was pronounced dead from head injuries sustained in the crash at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Winnebago County Coroner Elizabeth Fiduccia said.
Okeeffe and Sarff-Baker were treated for minor injuries at Freeport Memorial Hospital. Zdravko refused medical attention at the scene of the crash.
All three women and the semi truck driver were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, police said.
McCarty graduated from Prairie Ridge High School in 2006 where she was on the National Honor Society, a cheerleader and a member of numerous clubs, her family said.
She received an associate's degree from McHenry County Community College, where she was president of Phi Theta Kappa.
McCarty was accepted at the University of Illinois at Champaign. She enjoyed music, crafts, spending time with her family, friends and the love of her life, Mike Ovington, family said.
Survivors include her parents, Julie (Jason) Wilke of Crystal Lake and Kevin (Pat Hays) McCarty of Antioch; siblings, Kevin and Ryan McCarty and Jacob Wilke; stepbrothers, Thomas and Steven Hays; maternal grandparents, Andrew (Dondi) Fahey and Wilma (Leo) Drummer; and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins, her family said.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Kevin and Ryan McCarty Scholarship Fund, c/o Fifth Third Bank, 265 N. Virginia St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014. For information, call (815)459-3411.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. Service and interment will be private.