An Illinois woman saved her husband’s life by pushing him out of the way of an oncoming truck — only to be fatally struck herself, officials said.
Katarzyna Kurek-Polk, 37, and her husband had pulled over to help a driver who slid off the road Monday night near McLean Road and Route 20 in Elgin, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
But while standing on the roadway, she noticed a truck driving towards them, police said.
She pushed her 62-year-old husband out of the way before she was mowed down by the truck, authorities said.
Kurek-Polk was brought to Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin, where she was pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma, the Kane County Coroner’s Office said.
Meanwhile, her husband suffered minor injuries and has since been released from the hospital, the outlet reported.
Katarzyna Kurek-Polk and her husband pulled over near McLean Road and Route 20 in Elgin. Google MapsA preliminary investigation suggested that weather conditions may have played a role in the crash, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The National Weather Service said that about 1.5 inches of snow fell Monday on the region.
