Rainy weather and slick pavement may have contributed to unrelated suburban car crashes Thursday that killed two teenage drivers about the same time, 40 miles apart, authorities said.
Hadessa A. Flora, 17, of Batavia, an outgoing junior at Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, was killed when her car hit the side of a large garbage truck at Illinois Highway 25 and Banbury Road in Kane County.
“It appeared she did not stop for the stop sign,” Sheriff’s Police Sgt. Tom Friedrich said Friday. “We’re looking at all possibilities right now.”
Meanwhile, Jessica Culotta, 19, of Johnsburg in McHenry County, was killed when she lost control of her car on Walkup Road near Crystal Lake and slid sideways into the path of a van.
Both crashes occurred around 3 p.m., a time when teen drivers are prone to have fatal crashes, according to a study released this week.
Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on fatal crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers between 2002 and 2005, AAA Chicago found that 1,100 were on weekday afternoons, compared with 1,237 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Both Thursday crashes remained under investigation.
In Kane County, witnesses told sheriff’s police that Flora either failed to stop for a sign at Banbury and Illinois 25 or her car slid into the intersection. Her car hit the side of the truck, which was traveling about 45 m.p.h. Her car was thrown into a nearby field, police said.
Flora was wearing a seat belt. Her car had an air bag, but it did not deploy, Friedrich said.
The truck driver was not injured.
Although classes were canceled Friday at Wheaton Academy, a private, Christian college-preparatory high school, students converged on the West Chicago campus to grieve. A class officer and a member of the junior varsity soccer team, she was remembered for her gregarious personality and caring spirit.
“Whenever you would see [her], she would always have a huge smile on her face,” said R. Jacob Johnson, 16, of Bartlett.
Flora enjoyed photography and outdoor activities. She frequently hosted bonfires at her house. She aspired to be a teacher, friends said. She wanted to attend college in Europe.
“Friends were pretty much one of the most important things in her life; to her it was a passion,” said Greg Haney, 18, of North Aurora.
Flora attended Christ Community Church in St. Charles.
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“You see people who say they are a Christian, but she really lived it,” Haney said.
In the McHenry County crash, Culotta, a 2005 graduate of Johnsburg High School, was driving south on Walkup when she lost control of her car. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The van’s driver, Jennifer Aleksiun, 44, of Wonder Lake, was taken to Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry with injuries and was listed in good condition Friday.
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The Tribune is putting a spotlight on the dangers of teen driving. On the Web, go to chicagotribune.com/teendrivers