Lake Zurich police are searching for a light-colored SUV they believe was involved in a hit-and-run crash Friday night that killed an 18-year-old girl and injured two teen-aged sisters.
Gabriella Drozdz, 18, was walking south on the gravel shoulder along Church Street with two friends at about 9:15 p.m. when the SUV struck her from behind, said Drozdz’s older sister Ilona Gregory.
Drozdz and the two sisters were walking to the annual Alpine Fest at Lions Park less than a mile to the south.
“It’s devastation,” Gregory, 34, said of her sister’s death. “She was only 18 years old.”
Police said the hit-and-run crash happened on Church Street north of Jamie Lane and that the SUV left the scene before officers arrived. It was described as a newer model white or light-colored SUV that may have a damaged light on the front passenger side, police said.
Drozdz was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center inLibertyville, where she died at about 10 p.m., said Lake County Coroner Artis Yancey. The two other teens were taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. Their injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
Gregory said she had spoken with one of the injured friends today. The 16-year-old girl told her that the teens were about four feet off the road when the SUV came up behind them without its headlights on, Gregory said.
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“They were completely surprised,” Gregory said.
Police told the family that there were tire tracks visible on the shoulder, meaning the SUV may have swerved off the road when it struck Drozdz.
Drozdz’s family hailed from Poland, but she was born in Chicago and lived her entire life in Lake Zurich. She was the youngest in the family, with two older brothers and her older sister, Gregory. She loved doing crafts and making beaded bracelets. She also loved to read, her sister said, which made her an animated storyteller.
Drozdz — who went by Gabby among friends and Gabe with her siblings — did well at Lake Zurich High School and had enough credits to graduate in January, a semester early, her sister said. She planned to start classes in the fall at the College of Lake County and work towards becoming a nurse.
“She was great with kids,” Gregory said. “She had that warm personality.”
Now her grandparents are traveling from Poland to attend her funeral, and the many friends Drozdz met in her life were mourning. A Facebook page has been set up in remembrance of Drozdz.
“We’re devastated,” Gregory said. “Our hearts are in a million pieces right now.”
Police asked anyone with information to call (847) 438-2349.