Local auto shop owner dies in motorcycle crash

Don Hansen was well-known in McHenry and Woodstock for his passion for family and hot rods.

He lived in Woodstock, was married and had two children and three grandchildren, and owned Don Hansen's Alignment and Auto Service in McHenry.

Hansen died Sunday after being ejected from his motorcycle in unincorporated Woodstock, police said.

"Yesterday was a big surprise for all of us," his grandson, Brandon Hansen, said. "He had been planning on buying a bike ... but knew we would tell him not to because we wanted him to be safe."

Hansen died about noon Sunday of blunt force trauma, according to a news release from the coroner's office.

Hansen was driving a 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe about 11 a.m. Sunday east on Kishwaukee Valley Road, west of Vermont Road, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

A preliminary investigation showed he drove off the right side of the curved road, went through a ditch and traveled over Vermont Road before his motorcycle came to a stop on the east side of Vermont Road.

Hansen was ejected from the motorcycle and suffered severe injuries, police said. Sheriff's office deputies, Marengo Rescue Squad personnel and an off-duty paramedic provided medical care until the man was taken by the Marengo Rescue Squad to Centegra Hospital – Woodstock.

He was not wearing a helmet, and no mechanical issues with the motorcycle were found, police said.

"The investigation revealed that the driver’s motorcycle operational abilities were believed to have contributed to the crash," according to the release.

Brandon Hansen described his grandfather as a personable man, "one of the best people I've ever met."

He added that Don was one of those people that seemed to know everyone.

"The amount of support we have gotten has been crazy," he said. "He touched so many lives."

Sheriff's office officials could not be reached for information.

The investigation is ongoing by the McHenry County Sheriff's Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner's Office.