St. Charles woman being remembered for her bubbly personality

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles resident Amy Carlson is being remembered as someone who could make friends with anyone she met.

Carlson, 24, was killed in an alcohol-related crash at the South McLean Boulevard and Stearns Road in South Elgin on May 31. She was a passenger in a car being driven by Erik McKay, 27, of the 7N000 block Smith Road, South Elgin, who has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence in an accident causing death, reckless homicide, driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol and driving on a suspended license.

"She was the type of person that was friends with anybody and everybody," said Mike Upton, general manager of the Spotted Fox Ale House in St. Charles. "She was very social. She always put a smile on everybody's face around here. She was quite the fun person to have around."

Carlson had worked as a server at the Spotted Fox for about three months. The Spotted Fox is hosting a benefit for Carlson's family to cover her funeral costs. Remembering Amy Carlson Night will be from 4 to 10 p.m. June 27 at the Spotted Fox Ale House, 3615 E. Main St., St. Charles.

Tickets are $20 per person and all ticket sales will go the family. In addition, 50 percent of all the bar sales that night will also go to the family.

The night will feature an appetizer buffet, free giveaways, a silent auction and a live DJ. Upton said he hopes the event will raise between $10,000 and $11,000.

McKay also worked at the Spotted Fox, Upton said.

"It was one of those things where it was really just one poor decision that just shook a lot of people's lives," he said. "I know him and I know what type of person he is. He did not mean to cause any harm to Amy. But it was a poor decision that obviously cost Amy her life."

At approximately 2:46 a.m. May 31, the South Elgin Police Department along with the South Elgin and Countryside Fire Protection District responded to a reported accident with injuries at the intersection of South McLean Boulevard and Stearns Road, according to a news release from the South Elgin Police Department.

Officers arrived on the scene and observed a single car involved in the crash. Carlson had died of her injuries and firefighters had to extricate her from the vehicle, the release stated.

McKay was treated for minor injuries on the scene and released. The Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team along with the Kane County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.

Through the course of the investigation, officers had learned that McKay allegedly travelled between 106 mph and 117 mph in a 45 mph zone, when he lost control of the vehicle, according to the release. McKay allegedly had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on or about his breath and marijuana in his system, the release stated.

McKay submitted to blood and urinalysis testing and toxicology reports are pending, according to the release. The Kane County Coroner’s Office stated that Carlson had suffered multiple injuries, and a final report will be submitted once toxicology results have returned.

The case is still an active investigation pending accident reconstruction, toxicology and the coroner’s report, the release stated.