La Grange Fatal Crash Inquiry Continues 7 Months Later

LA GRANGE, IL – Nearly seven months later, authorities continue to investigate a crash that resulted in the deaths of a Hinsdale couple in La Grange.

In response to a Patch inquiry, La Grange Village Manager Jack Knight said Wednesday the local police department continues its investigation, collaborating with Cook County prosecutors.

When Patch contacted the village two months ago, Knight said the case was unusually complex.

Investigations into fatal crashes can last months. That was the case in Hinsdale in July 2023 when a car wash employee struck and killed a Hinsdale boy walking on a public sidewalk. Authorities announced the results of that inquiry more than three months later.

During the afternoon of April 25, a driver struck several cars near and within the intersection of 47th Street and Willow Springs Road, including the car occupied by Hinsdale residents Brett Allen Lane, 51, and Melissa Ann Lane, 49, La Grange police said. The Lanes died.

At the time, police said they were considering the possibility that a health issue may have played a role in the driver's conduct. The driver's name was not released.

Before the collision, Western Springs police responded to two crashes involving the same SUV in the village's part of Willow Springs Road, police said.

The intersection of Willow Springs Road and 47th Street is at the boundary between the villages, with Western Springs to the west.