RIDOTT, Ill. — A a 76-year-old Galena woman is dead after a single-vehicle accident on Tuesday, Sept. 23, according to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office.

In a press release from Sheriff Steve Stovall’s office, at approximately 3:07 p.m. on Tuesday, Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash in the area of U.S. Route 20 East and Rock City Road near Ridott. Deputies arriving on scene located a vehicle with significant front-end damage in the north ditch.

The woman was the driver and sole occupant. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The name of the decedent is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. An autopsy has been scheduled for Sept. 24.

Preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle had been traveling westbound on U.S. Route 20 East when, for unknown reasons, it veered off the roadway and entered the north ditch. While traveling through the ditch, the vehicle struck an embankment and became airborne before coming to rest near a residential driveway in the 7500 block of U.S. Route 20 East. All airbags were deployed during the crash.

Assisting at the scene were the German Valley Fire Department and the Stephenson County Coroner’s Office.