May 14, 2025
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Marengo motorcycle crash victim, 19, identified

Man would have turned 20 Tuesday

By Janelle Walker
First responders work the scene of a motorcycle crash near Marengo on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Officials reported days later that the 19-year-old motorcyclist died from his injuries.

First responders work the scene of a motorcycle crash near Marengo on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Officials reported days later that the 19-year-old motorcyclist died from his injuries. (Photo provided by Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts)

The man killed in a motorcycle crash Saturday near Marengo would have turned 20 on Tuesday, according to the McHenry County Coroner’s office.

Coroner Michael Rein’s office on Wednesday identified the victim as Brandon Klaassens, 19, of Marengo. He was killed when, for unknown reasons, he lost control of his 2018 Indian Scout motorcycle while driving near the intersection of County Line and Harmony roads “and failed to navigate the curve,” entering the ditch. He was thrown from the motorcycle, according to a news release Tuesday from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts were called to crash site at 3:24 p.m. Saturday, fire district spokesperson Alex Vucha said in a news release Saturday.

Emergency crews called to the scene found the motorcycle in a ditch and a bystander administering CPR to Klaassens. He was taken to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital and later pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s release.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the crash, according to the release.

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