Morgan Co. EMT killed in head-on crash

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A two-car crash in Morgan County last week claimed the life of an EMT from Franklin.

Marcy Patterson, the Morgan County Coroner, said Chelsie Sonneborn was identified as the deceased victim in the Oct. 3 crash. State Police found that the 32-year-old was driving on Illinois Route 104 north of Rees Station Road; while rounding a curve, Sonneborn’s car crossed the center line for unknown reasons.

Sonneborn’s car crashed head-on into a pickup truck driving the opposite direction. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Patterson said. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to an area hospital with injuries.

Sonneborn’s family wrote in an obituary that she graduated from Jacksonville High School in 2010. She worked for the Murrayville Fire Department for two years and volunteered for the Murrayville Woodson Ambulance Service.

“She absolutely loved being a first responder and helping others,” the Sonneborn family wrote.

At the time of her death, Sonneborn was an EMT for America Ambulance, a private ambulance company based in Springfield. She worked there for seven years, the Sonneborn family said, and was working towards becoming a paramedic.

“Chelsie was not just a co-worker but was a friend to many in our community, and her loss has come with a tremendous amount of grief and devastation,” the company said in a Facebook post. “Chelsie dedicated so much to helping others and was a valued member of our team for the past seven years. Chelsie’s dedication and expertise as an EMT will be sorely missed by all that knew her.”

Sonneborn’s funeral has been scheduled for Wednesday.

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