Last Updated: October 27, 2026

In July 2018, a John Hersey High School student died as a rear-seat passenger after an adult driver’s vehicle rear-ended her family’s car at a Wheeling intersection, according to contemporaneous reporting and a later Illinois appellate opinion. When a liable defendant is established, families may pursue wrongful death claims; no recovery is guaranteed.

A 16-year-old Illinois girl was killed in a multi-vehicle car accident in Wheeling on July 21, 2018. Six other people were also injured in the crash.

According to police as reported in July 2018, the victim’s vehicle was stopped at a light at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Hintz Road around 2 p.m. when a speeding vehicle struck it from behind. The impact pushed the vehicle into the intersection, where it was struck by a second vehicle. The victim, a Mount Prospect resident, was transported to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and later died.

The driver of the vehicle that first struck the family’s car was also transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Rescue crews reportedly had to cut the occupants out of two of the three cars involved in the crash. As of a July 23, 2018 Patch report, no charges had yet been filed and police said the crash remained under investigation; grief counselors were being made available to Hersey students after that report. A later Illinois appellate opinion on rehearing (People v. Grunin, June 17, 2022) describes the victim as a rear-seat passenger in a vehicle driven by her mother, with her father in the front passenger seat, an occupant account that differs from the Patch article’s description of the victim and two passengers. That opinion affirms convictions tied to the crash; it is not a statement of current court status in 2026. The victim was a student at John Hersey High School and was a member of the school’s bowling, swimming and track teams.

Car accidents can be caused by a number of factors, including speeding and impaired driving. Individuals injured in motor vehicle crashes caused by another driver may be able to recover compensation by filing a personal injurylawsuit lawsuit. By using crash investigation results, witness testimony and other types of evidence, an attorney could prove that the at-fault driver is legally liable for a victim’s injuries. If a victim dies in a crash, his or her family could recover damages by filing a wrongful death claim against a driver found liable.

Source: Arlington Heights Patch, “Hersey Student-Athlete Dies After 3-Car Crash In Wheeling”, Joe Vince, July 23, 2018

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Illinois high school student killed in crash

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