A woman who died following a head-on crash Saturday on Route 45 was identified by the Lake County Coroner’s office Wednesday afternoon.
Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper identified the victim as Katherine Lewis, 70, of Grayslake.
Cooper said an autopsy was performed on Lewis Tuesday, and the preliminary finding is that Lewis died of “multiple traumatic injuries due to the crash.”
Toxicology test results are pending, Cooper said.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday on Route 45, north of West Cottage Drive, in Warren Township.
Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Wednesday that the crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit, and that to date, no charges have been filed.
According to reports, a preliminary investigation shows a 2011 Kia Soul, driven by a 17-year-old from Round Lake Beach was traveling northbound on Route 45 when it apparently crossed the double-yellow center lines and entered a southbound lane, striking a southbound 2003 Toyota Corolla driven by Lewis.
The first sheriff’s deputy to arrive at the scene found a small fire in the engine compartment of the Toyota and put it out with an extinguisher, officials said.
The driver of the Kia sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but Lewis sustained critical, life-threatening injuries, according to Covelli. Both drivers were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where Lewis died.