Three die in fiery car crash

PECATONICA – Three people are dead after a one-vehicle crash early Sunday morning on U.S. 20. The crash occurred at 2:30 a.m. about half a mile west of Pecatonica Road and involved a Chevy Trailblazer.

There were four people in the vehicle when it crashed, said Winnebago County Sheriff’s spokesman Ken DeCoster. According to DeCoster, the vehicle left the road, hit a guardrail and a bridge abutment and then caught fire. The vehicle was traveling west.

Two males were in the back seat. One man was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. He was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. The other man was able to crawl out of the vehicle to safety. He suffered injuries that were not life threatening, DeCoster said.

The driver and the front seat passenger were trapped in the wreckage and burned beyond recognition.

Authorities do not know if they died from trauma injuries from the crash or the fire.

The three victims from the deadly crash on U.S. 20 have been identified. The Winnebago County Coroner’s Office says Jonathan White, 19, was the backseat passenger who was ejected from the car. The two who were found dead inside the car after the fire was extinguished are Delilah Cleveland, 41, and Darryl Cleveland, 14. All three victims are from Freeport.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.