St. Charles man dies in crash on Route 25 south of Batavia
Beacon-News Staff January 7, 2013 10:02AM
Police and Fire from North Aurora and Batavia work around the scene of a fatal crash on Route 25 and Banbury Road in Batavia on Monday, January 7, 2012. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 9, 2013 6:12AM
A St. Charles man was killed Monday in a rollover crash on Route 25 just south of Batavia.
The crash occurred about 9 a.m. on Route 25 at Banbury Road in unincorporated Batavia, across from the River Hills Memorial Park cemetery, the Kane County sheriff’s office said.
Police identified the victim as Karl Smith, 45, of the 600 block of Marion Avenue in St. Charles.The sheriff’s office said Smith’s 2005 Ford Expedition was northbound on Route 25 when it went out of control on a curve.
The Expedition crossed into the southbound lane of traffic and struck a southbound 2005 Honda Accord.
The Expedition continued out of control and eventually went off the road on the west side of Route 25 and flipped onto its roof, police said. The driver was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated by fire personnel.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The driver of the Accord, Debra Berger, 60, of the 0-99 block of South Jefferson Street in Batavia, was taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The Kane County Crash Reconstruction Team and Kane County Sheriff’s Department deputies are investigating the crash. It is not known if speed, drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, police said.
Route 25 was closed between Bond Drive and Banbury Road for the investigation.
Police said it does not appear that there will be criminal charges related to the crash.
