1 Killed, 1 Charged With DUI In McHenry Co. Crash

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A 45-year-old Wonder Lake woman who was behind the wheel in a fatal, single-vehicle crash Saturday now faces a drunken driving charge. A passenger in her car, a 44-year-old Capron man, was killed in the collision, authorities said.

The crash happened in the 16000 block of Nelson Road in unincorporated Woodstock at 1:07 p.m. when the car went off the roadway and crashed into a tree, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities say the car was headed west on Nelson Road when, for unknown reasons, drove into the eastbound lane of traffic before going off the road and running into a tree, according to police.

Emergency personnel extricated the driver, Shannon Velmont, 45, of Wonder Lake from the vehicle. She was flown by helicopter to Javon Bea Hospital on Riverside in Rockford with serious injuries. She has been charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving on a revoked driver's license and for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

The 44-year-old passenger in her car was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released his name.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation by the McHenry County Coroner's Office and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit.