Head-on crash west of Rockton claims at least one life
The passenger escaped the burning SUV and was treated and released, but the driver, Russell Moore of Durand, was killed.
The driver of a Ford F150 truck crossed the center line of Freeport Road, west of Rockton, and collided head-on with a westbound Ford Escape SUV shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Ford Escape SUV caught fire. Its driver, a 75 year old male from Durand, was later pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, a 43 year old female from Durand, was transported to a local hospital. She was treated and released.
The driver of a Ford F150 truck has been identified as a 45 year old man from Rockton who was driving alone. He was also transported to a local hospital.
UPDATE: The deceased driver of the SUV was later identified by the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office, according to WTVO, as Russell Moore, age 75, of Durand. The other two people involved have not been identified. The condition of the hospitalized driver of the F150 truck has not been released.
WIFR news anchor Zoe Chipalla, a Hononegah grad from Rockton, whose Channel 23 News crew was on the scene, reported, "The impact caused one vehicle to flip onto its head, and the other to catch on fire."
The crash happened in the 5300 block of Freeport Road/Illinois 75, near Bates Road east of Harrison, between Durand and Rockton. The location is between Owen Center Road and Meridian Road. Both Rockton Fire Department and Durand Ambulance were dispatched. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation. In a news release, they said the driver of the Ford F150 truck was going eastbound on Freeport Road. No further details are available at this time.
