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Lauren A. Wegner

Age : 35

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 11/08/2022

Location : Interstate 55 southbound near mile marker 89

City : Springfield area

County : Sangamon

State : Illinois

Agency : Divernon Police Department; Sangamon County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Patrick Hurley; Sangamon County sheriff's deputy

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Bystander killed after Divernon Police Officer Patrick Hurley stopped another driver for speeding.
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NARRATIVE:
On 11/08/2022, 35-year-old Lauren A. Wegner of Skokie was killed when a man drove a GMC Sierra northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 and crashed into Wegner's Mercury Sable near Springfield.
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At approximately 7:13 p.m., Divernon Police Officer Patrick Hurley encountered the vehicle after seeing his pickup traveling at more than 100 mph. Hurley activated his emergency lights and siren, and the man exited I-55 at exit 88 and initially pulled onto the shoulder. During the approximately four-minute stop, Hurley reported smelling alcohol.
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A Sangamon County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived to assist. After police decided he should be taken into custody, he accelerated away. He entered Interstate 55 using an exit ramp and drove northbound into southbound traffic. Hurley subsequently testified that after he drove away and entered the wrong-way lanes, he saw what he described as a ball of fire from the ensuing crash.
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At approximately 7:30 p.m., the GMC Sierra struck Wegner's Mercury Sable and a Toyota Corolla occupied by a 61-year-old man and 54-year-old woman from Granite City. Four vehicles were ultimately involved. Wegner died at the scene. The two occupants of the Toyota survived with serious injuries, including broken bones, spinal injuries and brain bleeding.
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Lauren was born on 05/27/1987 in Skokie. She had recently returned to Skokie to live near her parents after living in North Carolina and told them shortly before her death that she was happy to be home. She attended Niles West High School, played volleyball, loved animals and the Green Bay Packers, and worked as a bartender at Morrison Roadhouse in Niles. She was driving to St. Louis to visit friends when she was killed. Her family directed memorial contributions to Community Animal Rescue Effort.
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Lauren's father, Bill Wegner, subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the fleeing driver and the officers involved. The lawsuit alleges that officers engaged in an unauthorized pursuit of a suicidal person that culminated in the fatal wrong-way crash.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Former Divernon Police Officer Patrick Hurley was publicly identified as the officer who initially stopped the fleeing vehicle. A Sangamon County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived to assist, but the available reporting reviewed does not publicly identify that deputy. The civil litigation brought by Lauren Wegner's father includes claims concerning the officers' handling of the fleeing driver and the pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/11/14/23458467/auburn-man-charged-in-jan-6-assault-now-in-custody-after-fatal-wrong-way-i-55-crash
https://chicago.suntimes.com/metro-state/2022/11/16/23462385/downstate-crash-murder-charge-skokie-woman-killed-lauren-wegner
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/11/22/23474181/u-s-capitol-rioter-worried-jail-time-made-suicidal-comments-before-crash-killed-skokie-woman-report
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2025/04/28/former-jan-6-defendant-set-to-stand-trial-for-skokie-womans-murder
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2025/04/29/testimony-begins-in-ex-jan-6-defendants-murder-trial-it-was-only-supposed-to-be-me
https://www.nprillinois.org/news/2025-08-20/an-auburn-man-sentenced-in-a-2022-deadly-interstate-55-accident-first-listen
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/lauren-wegner-obituary?id=37182906
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ntewx-in-memory-of-lauren