Authorities ID Mom Killed In McHenry Crash

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner | June 21, 2021 9:47 am

A Wonder Lake woman who died following a Thursday crash in McHenry that was allegedly caused by her 19-year-old son running a red light has been identified.

An autopsy showed that Gabrielle Zywiec, 52, died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The coroner’s office said the woman resided in McHenry, however, police said she was from Wonder Lake.

The two-vehicle crash happened around 4:05 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Route 120 and Curran Road in McHenry.

The McHenry Police Department and McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded to the scene.

McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh said a black 2006 Ford Crown Victoria and a gray 2012 Hyundai Veloster collided in the intersection.

A preliminary investigation shows the Ford was traveling eastbound on Route 120 at Curran Road.

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The Hyundai was traveling westbound on Route 120 attempting to turn left to travel southbound on Curran Road.

The Ford, driven by Emmet J. Zywiec, 19, of Wonder Lake, disobeyed a red light, drove into the intersection and struck the Hyundai, Walsh said.

The crash caused the Ford to drive off the roadway and come to a rest upright in a drainage ditch on the southeast corner of the intersection.

Emmet Zywiec was uninjured, however, the Ford’s passenger, identified as Gabrielle Zywiec, was injured and trapped inside the vehicle.

It took firefighters approximately 15 minutes to extricate the woman from the vehicle.

Gabrielle Zywiec was then flown by a LifeNet medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where she later died.

There were four occupants in the Hyundai. Two of them were transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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The other two did not report any injuries at the scene, Walsh said.

Emmet Zywiec was cited for disobeying a traffic control signal and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

The intersection was partially closed for approximately one hour.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on it is asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Division of the McHenry Police Department at 815-363-2599.

Those wishing to pass along anonymous information are encouraged to call the McHenry Police Department’s tip line at 815-363-2124.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.