The Geneva Police Department continues to investigate a two-car crash that claimed the lives of a Geneva couple at 1:40 p.m. Sept. 5 at the intersection of Bricher Road and Fisher Drive.
Preliminary findings indicate a 2005 Toyota Corolla was initiating a westbound turn onto Bricher Road from Fisher Drive when it was struck by a 2020 BMW X3 traveling eastbound on Bricher Road. The collision sent the BMW off the roadway into a wooded area north of the intersection, where it caught fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.
Geneva Police and firefighters from the Geneva Fire Department, the Batavia Fire Department and the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District responded to the scene. The Kane County Coroner’s Office was notified of the fatal crash at 2:47 p.m.
The two occupants of the Toyota Corolla, a married couple from Geneva, did not survive. The driver has been identified as Dennis White, 85. He was transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, where he was later pronounced deceased. His wife, Ritsuko White, 88, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Both were transported to the Kane County Morgue for further examination. External examinations, including X-rays, were completed Sept. 5, and forensic autopsies were performed Sept. 8. Toxicology samples were collected and submitted to a forensic laboratory for analysis.
Autopsy results from the couple indicate the preliminary cause of their deaths is consistent with multiple traumatic injuries due to a motor vehicle crash.
The BMW was driven by a 19-year-old man, who had three passengers, ages 18 to 20, in the vehicle. The driver and two passengers were medically released at the scene. One passenger was transported by paramedics to Delnor Hospital.
No charges have been filed. The case remains under investigation by the Geneva Police Department, Kane County Coroner’s Office and the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team.
The Geneva Police Department and the Kane County Coroner’s Office extend heartfelt condolences to the White family and others impacted by this tragic crash.