Rural Prophetstown crash leaves one man dead, another injured

PROPHETSTOWN – A two-vehicle crash in rural Prophetstown on Wednesday afternoon left one man dead and another injured, according to a news release from the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.

Benjamin Weidel, 39, of Prophetstown was killed in the crash, according to the release.

The sheriff’s office received an iPhone crash detection alert about 4:35 p.m. pinpointing the location at the intersection of Perkins and Mill roads.

An initial investigation determined that a black 2007 Ford sedan, driven by 40-year-old Jacob Penaflor, also of Prophetstown, was heading south on Perkins Road when it failed to stop at a stop sign at the Mill Road intersection, according to the release. The Ford collided with a black 2024 Chevrolet Crossover driven by Weidel, traveling east on Mill Road.

The impact caused Penaflor’s Ford to roll multiple times, with Penaflor suffering injuries that were not life-threatening. He was taken to get treatment.

The Whiteside County Coroner’s Office, Illinois State Police, the Prophetstown Police Department and several area fire and EMS departments assisted at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit.