Child airlifted, Rockford family hospitalized after crash in DeKalb County Friday – Shaw Local

DeKALB – A 3-year-old was flown to a children’s hospital in Maywood and four others were hospitalized after a two-car crash on Route 23 south of DeKalb on Friday, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

All five people, including a child who turns 10 months old Saturday, are part of the same Rockford-based family, DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said. The entire family was initially taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, according to a news release.

Sullivan said the 3-year-old was later flown to Loyola Medicine Children’s Hospital in Maywood.

“The child who was flown out had serious injuries but was taken to hospital. And they immediately put him in the helicopter and took him away, so that was good, but I don’t have an update on his condition,” Sullivan said.

The accident occurred around 4 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Route 23 and Perry Road. The driver of a 2004 Toyota Prius carrying four passengers failed to stop at a stop sign while traveling east on Perry Road and collided with a 1998 Ford F-800 truck traveling south on Route 23, according to the sheriff’s office drove.

Sullivan, who responded to the scene, described the accident as involving a Prius versus a dump truck.

“It was a truck pulling a trailer with equipment on it, so it was a big truck,” Sullivan said.

The driver of the truck, a 36-year-old from Waterman, was uninjured in the crash, while all occupants of the Prius were hospitalized. The driver of the Prius was cited for ignoring a stop sign.

The Prius was traveling eastbound when it collided with the truck, but ended up on the west side of the intersection, according to the release.

“It was a minor matter [impact] but it hit more of the engine compartment of the Prius, but on the driver’s side,” Sullivan said.

The DeKalb Fire Department was also on scene.