A 27-year-old Aurora woman was killed and five people were injured in back-to-back accidents involving pedestrians and three vehicles, according to the Kane County sheriff’s office.
Gloria Sterling of 706 Charles St. was pronounced dead on arrival at 6:50 p.m. Saturday at Copley Memorial Hospital in Aurora after being struck twice on U.S. Highway 30 near Orchard Road in unincorporated Aurora Township.
Sterling and Edwardo Garza, 29, of Chicago were attempting to cross U.S. 30 from a banquet at the United Auto Workers Hall when she was stuck by an eastbound truck.
The driver, a 42-year-old Waterman, Ill., man, told deputies he tried to avoid striking the woman but she dashed in front of his vehicle.
Garza told deputies he saw the truck and tried to stop Sterling from crossing the highway. After the accident, the driver stopped to offer assistance and Garza ran back to the hall to summon help.
The sheriff’s office said several people from the hall gathered around to aid Sterling and stop traffic when two vehicles approached from the east. The first car went out of control and slid sideways, while the second vehicle swerved to avoid the first car, only to go out of control, striking the vehicle and pushing both into the crowd that had gathered around Sterling, according to the sheriff’s office.
Pedestrian John Garza, 23, of Aurora, was taken to Copley Memorial, where he was listed Monday in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Pedestrians Edwardo Garza, Maria Garza, 17, of Aurora and Matthew Zeitz, 24, also of Aurora were treated at Mercy Center in Aurora and released. The driver of one of the cars, Whitney Cather, 16, of Montgomery was treated at Mercy and released.
No citations were issued, the sheriff’s office said. The highway is dark with no overhead lighting, and the road had patches of ice and snow, according to the sheriff’s office.