The crashes happened around 8:30 p.m. near Route 59 and Riverwalk Court, local authorities said.
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The first crash involved a Nissan Rogue striking a Toyota Rav4 after the Nissan vehicle turned at the intersection without properly yielding to the Toyota vehicle, Plainfield police said.
A 12-year-old girl was a passenger in the Nissan. She exited the car and began to run away from the crash when she was hit by a Ford Fusion driving northbound on Route 59.
The girl was taken to Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital and was later take to Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. She was identified as 12-year-old Gianna Lamb of Plainfield.
"I ran straight outside, and got out there just as the police were showing up, and it was pretty chaotic. The kids were pretty shooken up," said Jay Sias, student ministry pastor.
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Both roads were closed for multiple hours during an investigation and have since reopened, police said.
The three cars involved in the crashes were all driven by member of the nearby Community Christian Church, according to Pastor John Ciesniewski, after a StuCo Celebration Service.
"We're going to see this family and the families involved through this tragedy. We're going to love 'em. We're going to walk every step of the way with them," he said. "And we're going to hope and pray this never happens again."
He said there have been at least seven crashes at the intersection, which does not have a traffic light, in the past two years. While the church has pressed for a traffic light for years, the Illinois Department of Transportation has not installed one.
"I think they have procedures in place that say, well, how many can you have in a linear mile? And I get it, but sometimes I think exceptions need to be made, and this might be one of those times," he said.
The crashes remain under investigation by Illinois State Police and the Plainfield Police Department. Plainfield's mayor said the village supports adding a traffic light at the intersection. An IDOT spokesperson had no comment tonight.