Somonauk teen killed in 3-vehicle crash north of Sandwich

A Somonauk teenage boy died after a three-vehicle crash Monday night on Somonauk Road, north of Sandwich.

A motorist in another vehicle involved the crash, David T. Elrod, 22, of Somonauk, was taken to Valley West Hospital in Sandwich with injuries from the crash, then airlifted to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford with injuries that were not life-threatening, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said. Cameron D. Palleson, 24, of Sandwich, a motorist also involved in the crash, suffered minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

The identity of the teen or their age has not been shared by authorities.

Deputies said Palleson was headed north on Somonauk Road shortly after 6 p.m. Monday and slowed in traffic, preparing to turn left into a private driveway. While Palleson was waiting for southbound traffic to clear in order to make the turn, the teenage boy, also traveling north, crossed over the center line and into the southbound lane. The teenager’s vehicle struck the rear driver’s side of Palleson’s vehicle, pushing it off the road and into the east ditch, and the teenager’s vehicle overturned, sheriff’s deputies said.

The teenager’s vehicle then collided with Elrod’s vehicle, which was headed south, according to the sheriff’s office.

The crash is under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office.