Man Charged With Disobeying Stop Sign In Fatal Crash: Sheriff

MANHATTAN, IL — A New Lenox man was killed in a fatal crash Sunday in Manhattan Township. Kenneth Markel, 62, was pronounced deceased at 5:07 p.m. April 21 at Silver Cross Emergency Room, the Will County Coroner's Office said.

Markel was driving a motorcycle and was involved in a crash with another vehicle at the intersection of Cedar and Pauling roads, the coroner's office said. The Will County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.

The sheriff's office said deputies were called to the intersection at 4:25 p.m. for an accident involving a motorcycle and a Jeep Liberty. At that time, Manhattan Fire told deputies the driver of the motorcycle, Markel, was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The driver of the jeep, Steven Klein, 33, of Coal City, and a female passenger were not injured, the sheriff's office said. Initial reports indicate the Jeep was traveling eastbound on Pauling before the crash. Klein has been charged with failing to stop at the stop sign. According to the sheriff's office, when Markel entered the intersection traveling northbound on Cedar, he attempted to brake heavily to avoid the crash, and his motorcycle lost traction and slid into the Jeep. The Jeep then rolled over on impact.

The sheriff's office said there were two people on a second motorcycle who were traveling with Markel and witnessed the accident and gave statements to police.

Klein was charged with aggravated driving with a revoked license, disobeying a stop sign, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He will appear in bond court Monday.