Algonquin Man Killed in Car Accident Near Marengo

An elderly Algonquin man was killed following a two-car collision near Marengo on Thursday morning. 

McHenry County Sheriff officers and the Huntley Fire Protection District were dispatched at about 10:35 a.m. on August 22, to the intersection of Marengo Road and Diekman Road in unincorporated Coral Township, northwest of Huntley, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. 


Preliminary investigation indicates Gerhard Von Dahlen, 84, 1320 N. Harrison Street, Algonquin, was driving a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee eastbound on Marengo Road.

Von Dahlen's SUV struck the rear end of a 1994 Dodge Ram 3500 that was turning eastbound onto Marengo Road from southbound Diekman Road, the release states. 

After striking the Dodge Ram, the Jeep then overturned and struck a tree. Von Dahlen was ejected from his vehicle and subsequently transported to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where he died, the release states. 

The driver of the Dodge, Edwin Deackman, 70, of Huntley, was uninjured from the traffic crash. 

The intersection is controlled by a single stop sign for traffic southbound on Diekman Road. 

Alcohol was not suspected as playing a role in the crash. No airbags deployed within the vehicles, and Von Dahlen was found not to be wearing a safety belt, the release states. 

Toxicology results for both drivers are pending.The traffic crash is still under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Crash Investigation Unit and Kane County Coroner’s Office.