Driver charged in deadly Wadsworth hit-and-run

WADSWORTH, Ill. - Lake County officials announced Friday that charges have been filed in a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened last September in Wadsworth.

Deadly Wadsworth crash

The backstory:

On Sept. 6, 2024, a GMC SUV rear-ended an 18-year-old woman who was riding a bicycle on Dilleys Road near the Wadsworth Road intersection.

The impact knocked the woman off her bike and the GMC fled the scene. A southbound Hyundai Elantra then struck the woman, but the driver of that vehicle stayed at the scene and spoke with investigators. 

A witness reported seeing the GMC dragging a bicycle underneath it on Wadsworth Road.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.  She was identified as 18-year-old Tiana Smith of Zion.

Crash investigators determined Alex Landa, 33, was responsible for striking and killing Smith.

On Wednesday, a Lake County Grand Jury indicted Landa on one count of failure to report a crash involving death and one count of aggravated DUI causing death, both felonies.

A Lake County judge signed a warrant for Landa who has not been taken into custody.

What they're saying:

Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg praised investigators for their work on this case.

"No family should have to endure such a tragedy, and we hope these charges bring them the first measure of justice. I commend our crash investigations team for their tireless efforts in ensuring the driver was held accountable," Idleburg said in a statement.