Scott Hendrickson

A grinding two car crash near Shopiere Sunday afternoon killed both drivers and injured one passenger. Dead are Scott Hendrickson, 17 of Rt 2 Clinton and Donald Morris, 36, of Rt 2 Beloit.

A passenger in the Hendrickson car, Carl Fries, 19, of Rt 1 Clinton is reported in ‘satisfactory condition’ in Beloit Memorial Hospital.

Fries received head cuts in the accident. Hendrickson and Morris died from massive head injuries. No one was wearing a seatbelt, deputies reported.

Hendrickson was dead on arrival at Beloit Hospital while Morris, who was thrown from his car, died at 5:55am today, in Rockford Memorial hospital.

Morris was taken to Beloit Memorial and then transferred to Rockford Memorial to receive specialist care for his brain injuries.

Rock county deputies said the crash at the intersection of Grove school road and County trunk H about 6 miles northwest of Beloit occurred at 2:31pm when Morris apparently violated a stop sign.

Deputies said the Hendrickson car was westbound on Grove school road and the Morris vehicle was headed north on County Trunk H.

The Hendrickson vehicle left only three feet of skid marks before the impact while no skid marks were left by the Morris car, Deputies said. Both roads have 65 mile per hour speed limits.

After the impact, Hendricksons car slid 81 feet into a farm field and broke off a telephone cable box. The Morris car slid 39 feet into a field. Both cars were demolished.

The deaths marked the 22nd and 23rd traffic fatalities in Rock county this year. Last year to date the county had 23 fatalities.

Hendrickson was an area resident for the past seven years. He was born December 24, 1955, in Rochelle, the son of Grant Jr and Patricia Ann Meister Hendrickson. He was an employee of the Sunoco Travel Mart.

He was graduated from Clinton Highschool in June.

Survivors include his parents, one sister Diana Janeal, Clinton, one brother, Charles Layne, Clinton, his grandparents, Mr and Mrs Grant Hendrickson, Rochelle, and Mr and Mrs Wilbur Meister, Dixon, IL; aunts, uncles and cousins.

Services will be at Shopiere Congregational church, the reverend Donald M. Lyon of the First Church of the Open Bible, Rockford, officiating. Burial will be at Shopiere Cemetery.