'Unusually Complex' La Grange Crash Inquiry Continues

LA GRANGE, IL – Nearly five months later, authorities have reported no outcome in the investigation of the crash that resulted in the deaths of a Hinsdale couple.

"This is an unusually complex case, and it continues to be under investigation," Village Manager Jack Knight said in response to a Patch inquiry Wednesday.

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.

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.