“83-year-old Dorothy Lasota identified as victim in fatal crash with fuel truck in Volo”

The Lake County Coroner’s Office announced on Monday, August 14, 2023, the identification of an elderly woman from Oakwood Hills who tragically lost her life in a collision with a fuel truck on Rand Road in Volo over the weekend. The deceased has been identified as 83-year-old Dorothy Lasota. An autopsy was carried out on Monday, August 14, 2023, at the Lake County Coroner’s Office, revealing that Mrs. Lasota succumbed to fatal injuries caused by the impact of the crash.

Emergency services, including Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies and firefighters and paramedics from Wauconda Fire District, responded to the incident at approximately 7:25 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The collision occurred in the 31200 block of North Route 12 in Volo. Upon arrival, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies discovered a severely damaged Chevrolet Cruze involved in a collision with a fuel tanker truck carrying gasoline. Prior to the arrival of paramedics, Good Samaritans were administering CPR.

The driver of the Chevrolet sustained serious injuries and was urgently transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, a Level 1 Trauma Center. Tragically, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver of the fuel tanker truck emerged unharmed from the incident and is actively cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Fortunately, the collision did not result in a fire or ignition of the gasoline. The fuel tanker, which contained approximately 9,000 gallons of fuel, did not rupture or roll over despite the steep embankment angle. Before the truck and tanker were towed away, the fuel load was safely transferred out of the tanker.

For the duration of the rescue and investigation operations, all lanes of Route 12 between North Old Rand Road and Russell Drive were closed. Wauconda and Lakemoor police officers were also present at the scene to provide assistance.

Based on preliminary investigations, it appears that the driver of the Chevrolet, an 84-year-old woman from Oakwood Hills, was exiting a parking lot at Platinum Autobody of Volo on the east side of Route 12. She proceeded to travel west towards the southbound lanes, while a 39-year-old man from McHenry was operating the semi-truck in a northbound direction. The driver of the Chevrolet suddenly executed a U-turn in front of the semi-truck. In order to avoid a direct collision, the driver of the semi-truck veered onto the grassy area off the right shoulder. Unfortunately, the Chevrolet Cruze collided with the rear of the semi-truck, resulting in significant damage.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy for the driver of the Chevrolet to further investigate the cause of death.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations unit, with the assistance of the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team, is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.

According to Google Maps Street View images captured in December 2022, the speed limit on northbound Route 12 near the accident site is 55 MPH.