2 Killed After Car Strikes Deer Near Hoffman Estates

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL — An early morning crash Memorial Day has left two Chicago residents dead. The deceased, who were traveling in the same car, have been identified as Carlos Fajardo, 15, of Chicago, and a 51-year-old woman, of Chicago, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

The 2006 white Pontiac in which the two were passengers was westbound on Interstate 90 around 1:45 a.m. when it struck a deer in the roadway east of Sutton Road and began to slow down. While the Pontiac changed lanes to merge onto the right shoulder, the driver of a 1992 black Chevrolet Blazer attempted to slow down and avoid the Pontiac but was unable to do so, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police. The front end of the Chevrolet Blazer struck the rear driver’s side of the Pontiac, police said.

The Pontiac's driver, a 40-year-old Chicago woman, was taken to a local area hospital with serious injuries. The Blazer's driver, identified as a 32-year-old man from Fort Stewart, Georgia, was also taken to a local area hospital with serious injuries.

The two passengers in the Pontiac were taken to Saint Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates and died of their injuries, state police said.

Around 2 a.m., all westbound lanes of Interstate 90 and the ramps from Illinois 59 to westbound Interstate 90 were closed for the traffic crash investigation. At around 4 a.m, all westbound lanes of Interstate 90 reopened. All lanes were reopened by 6 a.m, according to police.