Naperville woman charged in crash that killed motorcycle passenger in Aurora

A Naperville woman is facing charges in connection with a crash earlier this year in Aurora that killed a motorcycle passenger.

The Kane County District Attorney’s Office has charged 37-year-old Adrienne N. Wheeler with involuntary manslaughter following the May 1 crash that killed 29-year-old Nicole Ross of Cortland.

Additionally, Wheeler is charged with aggravated reckless driving, failure to signal when required, improper lane use and improper turning in the roadway.

Traffic Accident Investigators with the Aurora Police Department’s Traffic Division say that around 5 p.m., Wheeler was making a food delivery in her 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and intended to turn left onto westbound Butterfield Road from a private shopping center driveway.

After being rear-ended by another vehicle in front of her, Wheeler changed lanes, turned right and continued east on Butterfield.

A few seconds later, Wheeler attempted to pull off the side of the road and head west on Butterfield. She entered the path of a 1990 Harley-Davidson that was traveling eastbound in the center lane of Butterfield. The motorcycle collided with the driver’s side of the Suburban.

Ross and the driver of the motorcycle were both thrown from the motorcycle. Ross was then struck by a third vehicle traveling west on Butterfield. She died the next day.

An arrest warrant was issued for Wheeler on September 19th. Wheeler was taken into custody on Oct. 2 and released the next day after a pretrial hearing.