Elburn woman identified in fatal I-88 crash in Maple Park

An Elburn woman who died March 4 in a fiery wrong-way crash on Interstate 88 in Maple Park was identified by authorities March 6.

Laura Rudow, 52, was killed in a crash involving a car and a pickup truck near mile marker 102 about 5:20 a.m. March 4, according to a news release from the Kane County Coroner’s Office on March 6.

Both vehicles caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames, the Illinois State Police said.

The driver of the vehicle that went west in the eastbound lanes was pronounced dead at the scene, Illinois State Police said. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were life-threatening.

Rudow’s cause of death remains pending as police continue to investigate, according to the coroner’s office.

Authorities said autopsy results and a toxicology report are pending.

All eastbound lanes on I-88 near mile marker 103 in Maple Park were closed for about five hours March 4 as Illinois State Police troopers responded to the crash, an Illinois State Police shift commander said. Traffic was rerouted to Peace Road near DeKalb.

Authorities have said they don’t yet know what caused the driver to go the wrong way. Heavy fog was reported in the area at the time of the crash, although authorities haven’t said whether weather conditions contributed to the incident.