Woman Fatally Hit After Pushing Husband Out Of Way Of Truck

KANE COUNTY, IL — An Elburn woman is dead after she pushed her husband out of the way of an oncoming truck and was hit by the vehicle in Elgin Monday night, authorities said.

The husband and wife had stopped to help a teen who had run off the roadway on Route 2o at McLean Boulevard just before 9 p.m., according to the Elgin Police Department.

The three were standing outside the disabled vehicle when a truck, driven by a 43-year-old man, lost control and hit Katarzyna Kurek-Polk before striking a guardrail. Just prior to the collision, the woman pushed her husband out of the way of the truck, according to a news release from the Kane County Coroner's Office.

Kurek-Polk was taken to Amita St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, where she was pronounced dead, the coroner's office said.

Her 62-year-old husband and the teen they had stopped to help sustained minor injuries and were treated and released at a local hospital, according to police. The truck driver was also treated at an area hospital and released.

A preliminary cause of death for Kurek-Polk was listed as blunt force trauma from being struck by the truck. Authorities believe weather conditions contributed to the crash.

A funeral service for Kurek-Polk, who turned 38 on the day of the crash, has been set for 11 a.m. Monday at Calvary Baptist Church, 823 Hamilton St., Geneva. A visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State St., Geneva.

An investigation continues into the crash, and anyone with information is asked to call the Elgin Police Department Traffic Unit at 847-289-2660.

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