THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
Crash Near Woodfield Claims Motorcyclist
A Palatine man was killed Saturday when his motorcycle collided with an automobile near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.
According to Schaumburg police, at 4:42 p.m., units from the Schaumburg police and fire departments were dispatched to a traffic crash at Higgins Rd. and Mall Dr. near the shopping center.
The crash involved a 2005 Yamaha motorcycle and a 2008 Hyundai Sonata passenger car. Both drivers were transported to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.
The driver of the motorcycle was later identified from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Dean Schroeder, 39, of Palatine.
Police said Schroeder was not wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 30-year-old female from Ohio, was treated for injuries that were believed to be not life threatening. There were no other passengers in or on either vehicle.
Higgins Road remained closed until 9 p.m. while the Schaumburg Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team investigated the scene.
Preliminary indications revealed that the Hyundai was traveling westbound on Higgins Road while the motorcycle was traveling eastbound on Higgins. According to police, both vehicles are believed to have had a green light at Mall Dr. and it appears the Hyundai made a U-turn in front of the motorcycle. No determinations will be made regarding citations or charges until the reconstruction has been completed and the results of any forensic tests have been received.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is requested to contact the Schaumburg Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team.
Schroeder was a firefighter for the Deerfield Fire Dept. for the past 15 years. He is survived by his children, Colin, Dylan and Briana; parents, Ralph and Evelyn; sister, Donna (Gordon) Shannon; and Sandra.
A funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) 10 a.m. at Colonial-Wojciechowski Funeral Home in Niles. Interment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie. Visitation is today (Thursday) from 3 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.