Illinois Valley Times

Illinois State Senate District 37 candidate, Li Arellano, expressed his condolences to the family of Deputy Christina Musil. Arellano is set to appear on the ballot for the upcoming general election.

"Deputy Christina Musil, a DeKalb County Sheriff's Deputy and Afghanistan Veteran, has been taken from us following an awful traffic accident while stopped along IL-23 between DeKalb and Waterman," said Arellano, according to Facebook. "My condolences to her family, her fellow deputies, and those Army Veterans who served with her. I salute you, Deputy Musil."

According to Shaw Local, a commercial truck rear-ended Deputy Musil’s parked vehicle while she was on duty for the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred at approximately 10:39 p.m., when a single-unit Kenworth truck veered off Route 23 from the right and collided with Musil’s car. Musil was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she later succumbed. The identity of the truck driver remains undisclosed as the crash continues to be investigated by both the Illinois State Police and the DeKalb County Coroner’s office.

Screenshot of Li Arellano for State Senate's March 29 Facebook post | Li Arellano for Senate Facebook page

Shaw Local also reported that the intersection north of where Musil’s fatal crash took place has been under scrutiny for some time due to multiple severe traffic crashes in that area. These include an accident that claimed the lives of a 22-year-old woman and three others in November 2023; and another in March 2018, where a two-vehicle collision necessitated the extraction and subsequent hospital treatment of two victims.

In response to these incidents, Shaw Local stated that safety features at the intersection of Route 23 and Perry Road are slated for an upgrade. As explained by DeKalb County engineer Nathan Schwartz to the DeKalb County Board earlier this year, these improvements will encompass flashing red lights on stop signs at the intersection. Additionally, "intersection ahead" signs on Route 23 will be fitted with flashing yellow lights.

Shaw Local further reported that current District 37 Senator Win Stoller endorsed Arellano in February after deciding against seeking a third term in state senate. It was noted that Arellano secured more than half of votes in three counties within the district: Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside. Specifically, Arellano received 55.16% of the vote in Lee County, 52.64% in Whiteside County, and 52.2% in Ogle County.