Trial Date Set For Woman Charged In Hayride Crash Near Plano

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — A trial date has been set for a DeKalb woman accused of injuring 11 people when the car she was driving hit a hayride trailer last year.

According to Kendall County Now, 22-year-old Kaitlin G. Minick was in court Tuesday, and will be back in a Kendall County courtroom on Dec. 8 to face six felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence and one count of driving under the influence.

According to the Kendall County Sheriff's Office, the charges against Minick are the result of a months-long investigation involving the sheriff's office and the Kendall County State's Attorney, and stem from an Oct. 12, 2019 incident.

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On that day, police say Minick hit a hayride trailer with 14 people in it on River Road between Blackhawk Road and Fox River Drive. Eleven riders were injured. All were transported to area hospitals for treatment.

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According to a summary of the October incident on the Kendall County Sheriff Facebook page, Minick was initially released at the scene after receiving a citation for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The tractor driver for the hay ride was also cited for improper tractor operation; operating a farm vehicle on a roadway that was not being used for farming.

The charges against Minick are class 4 felonies, which each carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison and fines up to $25,000.

This update in the October 2019 case comes just days after a hayride crash killed one woman and injured 20 other people during a family event Saturday in rural western Illinois, state police said.

State troopers were called around 9 p.m. to the scene of the crash at County Road 2000 North and County Road 800 East, where a tractor pulling a double-axel trailer lost control on an incline and slid off the road and into a wooded ravine, according to Illinois State Police.

Amy Swinderman, 32, of Hamilton, was identified as the woman who died. State police reported three adults and 14 children between age 1 and 12 were who riding on hay bales at the time were taken to a local hospital. >> More