The Unforgiving Crossroads: A Gurnee Crash Claims an Evanston Woman's Life

There are moments on our roads, aren't there, when everything changes in an instant. A routine drive, perhaps, becomes something else entirely—something heartbreaking, something indelible. Such was the case this past Tuesday evening in Gurnee, a somber scene unfolding that ultimately claimed the life of an 87-year-old woman from Evanston.

Barbara P. Schau, whose life stretched across nearly nine decades, tragically perished after a three-vehicle collision near the often-busy intersection of Route 132 (that's Grand Avenue to many) and Route 45. It happened around 5:10 p.m., just as daylight was fading, just as people were likely making their way home, or perhaps running errands.

The preliminary details, gathered by the diligent folks at the Gurnee Police Department, alongside the Lake County Coroner’s Office and the specialized Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT), paint a stark picture. Schau, it seems, was driving her 2017 Volkswagen Passat, heading northbound on Route 45. She began, sources say, to make a left turn onto Route 132. But here's where the turn took a tragic twist.

At the very same moment, a 2020 Jeep Compass, driven by a 35-year-old man from Zion, was traveling southbound on Route 45. And, well, Schau's Passat, in the act of turning, entered the path of that oncoming Jeep. A collision, an unavoidable impact, occurred. The force, one can only imagine, must have been tremendous.

The aftermath saw Schau's Passat—the vehicle she had been driving—pushed right into yet another car: a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. This third vehicle, driven by a 25-year-old Mundelein man, had been patiently waiting, stopped, at a red light on eastbound Route 132. An innocent bystander, caught in the awful ripple effect of the initial crash.

Emergency responders arrived swiftly, of course, a flurry of flashing lights and urgent activity. Barbara Schau was rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center. Yet, despite everyone's best efforts, she was later pronounced dead. A life, gone too soon, too suddenly.

The driver of the Jeep Compass, the man from Zion, he sustained what have been described as minor injuries and was also taken to Advocate Condell for care. Mercifully, the young man in the Jeep Wrangler, the one caught at the light, he escaped unharmed. A small blessing, perhaps, in an otherwise grim scenario.

Investigations, you understand, are ongoing. They're painstakingly reconstructing the scene, gathering every fragment of information to understand exactly how this tragedy unfolded. And in truth, while the facts will eventually solidify, the sense of loss, particularly for Schau's loved ones, well, that's a wound that will linger, long after the roads are cleared and the reports are filed. It’s a harsh reminder, honestly, of just how delicate our time can be, especially when we’re out there, navigating the world on four wheels.