Coroner IDs Woman Killed in I-90 Limo Crash

Photo credit: Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care

ELGIN, IL - A 53-year-old woman killed in a limo crash on Interstate 90 in Elgin has been identified as Terri Schmidt of Wisconsin, according to a Kane County Coroner's Office press release.

Schmidt, of Monona, Wis., was among six other passengers in the limo when it collided in the eastbound lanes of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway just west of Route 25 at about 7:10 a.m. on Friday, the Chicago Tribune reports. The accident happened when a Janesville, Wis., limo driver became blinded by the morning sun, crashing into a wall and causing the 1998 Lincoln Town Car limousine to roll over. 

The group was on their way O'Hare International Airport. They were headed to Mexico for a vacation, ABC 7 Chicago reports.

"It was alarming, it looked violent," off-duty Streamwood firefighter/paramedic Chris Tierney told the Chicago Tribune. He was several cars behind the limo, and ran to the scene to help. The driver told him people were trapped. "It was definitely a violent crash."

Tierney told the Tribune he had to smash the windows with a hammer to get the passengers out of the car.

Illinois State Police identified the five passengers in the limo as Keven Schmidt, 59, Monona; Lois Corning, 61, Verona; Donald Corning, 64, Verona; Robert Rosa, 53, Fitchburg; and Michael Johnson, 45, Fitchburg, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Schmidt was the co-owner of Dream House Dream Kitchens and director of design at its Delafield location.

An autopsy showed the preliminary cause of death for Schmidtas being "multiple injuries due to a limousine mishap," according to a coroner's office press release. Toxicology samples were collected and sent to a forensic lab.

The crash remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police Department and the Kane County Coroner's Office.

Funeral services have been scheduled for Saturday for Schmidt. A full obituary is expected to be posted online Wednesday.