Lake Barrington Woman Killed In Car Crash

A Lake Barrington woman is dead after a car crash in Lake Zurich on Thursday. 

The crash happened around 2:50 p.m. on March 24 near the intersection of Route 12 and Honeylake Road. Lake Zurich police say a 40-year-old Chatsworth man was the driver of the 2004 Jeep Laredo that struck and killed 56-year-old Katherine W. Hoffman. 

Katherine W. Hoffman, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene by a representative of the the Lake County Coroner’s Office according to Lt. Christopher Thompson, with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.

Hoffman was outside of her 2010 Volkswagen GTI after having it cleaned at a car wash when she was struck by the Jeep Laredo, according to Commander Kevin Finlon. Police determined the Laredo was heading southbound on Route 12 when it veered off the roadway and struck the victim’s car. The Volkswagen GTI was then pushed into an unoccupied 2010 Acura SUV. The driver of the Acura SUV was uninjured and not in the car at the time of the accident..

No charges have been filed against the driver because the accident is still under investigation, Finlon explained. Due to the extent of the injuries sustained by the victim, a representative from the Lake County Coroner’s Office was summoned to the scene.

“This will take a few weeks with blood work and a reconsruction of the accident,” FInlon said. “This is our normal course of action for any fatal accident.

Three Lake Zurich police officers assisted at the scene along with vehicles from surrounding law enforcement and emergency agencies. At least four Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department vehicles also responded for patient treatment and safety, according to Finlon. 

A driver of a motor vehicle that is involved in a crash that results in death or serious injury is required to provide a blood, breath, or urine sample for analysis, according to Finlon.  The driver will be requested to provide a blood sample for analysis to determine if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in this incident.  This incident is currently under investigation.

The incident was investigated by the Lake Zurich Police Department with assistance from the Lake County – Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) comprised of personnel from Grayslake PD, Lincolnshire PD, Deerfield PD, Hawthorn Woods PD, and Lake Villa PD.  Two individuals requiring medical assistance were treated by the Lake Zurich Fire Department and transported to Good Shepherd Hospital.

Traffic on U.S. Route 12 was disrupted for more than 2½ hours. Southbound U.S. Route 12 traffic was reduced to one lane for the duration of the on-scene investigation of the incident.