March 20, 2019 at 07:47PM
A McHenry High School student who died in a head-on crash on Route 12 Friday night in Wauconda was identified Tuesday as Danielle Thomas by Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper.
"Friday night we lost a local 16-year-old girl from West Campus High School. Please take a few minutes to pray for (everyone) involved in the horrible crash," McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett posted on Facebook.
"There (have) been so many people telling me that Danielle would light up a room with her smile, laughs and energy," he added. "You will be missed by so many. RIP Danielle Thomas."
Visitation will be from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday at Justen Funeral Home & Crematory, 3700 W. Charles J. Miller Road in McHenry. It will resume Friday at 8:45 a.m. for an hour at the funeral home. Funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 3500 W. Washington Street in McHenry, and interment will be private, according to her obituary.
"Dani will be best remembered for being the kind of girl who let her beautiful smile light up the room, while her sparkling eyes conveyed a sweetness like no other," her obituary stated. "She loved her friends fiercely. When you think of Dani celebrate the good memories you have of her. Remember that life is fragile and short and should be lived to the fullest."
Thomas was a cheerleader for the McHenry Jr. Warriors for eight years, she was on the Cheerleading Squad at her school for the 2018-19 Warrior season and also a member of the McHenry West Key Club. She is survived by her parents, Nicholas and Nicole; four siblings, Jonathan Thomas, Jason Class, Jack Class, Gianna Class, and many relatives and friends.
According to a Wauconda Police Department statement, the collision occurred shortly before 10:15 p.m. when a southbound Hyundai Elantra driven by an 18-year-old man from Cary crossed the center median and crashed into a northbound Ford Focus driven by Thomas.
The Ford contained two 14-year-old passengers and a 15-year-old passenger, all from McHenry, police said.
According to police, Thomas was extricated from her vehicle and transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, where she died later due to injuries suffered in the crash.
Wauconda police and the Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County are handling the case, police said, adding that charges are pending.
Twitter @abderholden
A McHenry High School student who died in a head-on crash on Route 12 Friday night in Wauconda was identified Tuesday as Danielle Thomas by Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper.
"Friday night we lost a local 16-year-old girl from West Campus High School. Please take a few minutes to pray for (everyone) involved in the horrible crash," McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett posted on Facebook.
"There (have) been so many people telling me that Danielle would light up a room with her smile, laughs and energy," he added. "You will be missed by so many. RIP Danielle Thomas."
Visitation will be from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday at Justen Funeral Home & Crematory, 3700 W. Charles J. Miller Road in McHenry. It will resume Friday at 8:45 a.m. for an hour at the funeral home. Funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 3500 W. Washington Street in McHenry, and interment will be private, according to her obituary.
"Dani will be best remembered for being the kind of girl who let her beautiful smile light up the room, while her sparkling eyes conveyed a sweetness like no other," her obituary stated. "She loved her friends fiercely. When you think of Dani celebrate the good memories you have of her. Remember that life is fragile and short and should be lived to the fullest."
Thomas was a cheerleader for the McHenry Jr. Warriors for eight years, she was on the Cheerleading Squad at her school for the 2018-19 Warrior season and also a member of the McHenry West Key Club. She is survived by her parents, Nicholas and Nicole; four siblings, Jonathan Thomas, Jason Class, Jack Class, Gianna Class, and many relatives and friends.
According to a Wauconda Police Department statement, the collision occurred shortly before 10:15 p.m. when a southbound Hyundai Elantra driven by an 18-year-old man from Cary crossed the center median and crashed into a northbound Ford Focus driven by Thomas.
The Ford contained two 14-year-old passengers and a 15-year-old passenger, all from McHenry, police said.
According to police, Thomas was extricated from her vehicle and transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, where she died later due to injuries suffered in the crash.
Wauconda police and the Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County are handling the case, police said, adding that charges are pending.
Twitter @abderholden