Emergency personnel responded about 3 p.m. Sunday to a single-vehicle rollover crash with multiple injuries in the 4100 block of Hanover Road just west of Route 3 north of Waterloo. One local teen died in the crash.

An ARCH Air Medical Services helicopter responded to the scene and airlifted one patient to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of serious injuries. 

Hanover Road was closed as police conducted accident reconstruction as part of an investigation. It was reopened just after 7 p.m.

Immaculate Conception Church in Columbia held a prayer vigil Sunday night in “support of the families of the young men involved” in the crash, per a post on Facebook.

On Monday morning, the MCSD said there were four teens in the vehicle that crashed, with one fatally injured and another in critical condition.

The Illinois State Police stated in a Monday afternoon press release that “preliminary reports indicate that a Waterloo Police Department officer observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Route 3. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle was discovered on Hanover Road, involved in a single vehicle crash.”

One occupant was pronounced deceased on scene by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office, ISP said. Another occupant was airlifted to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, while two other juveniles were transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Monroe County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as 15-year-old Crawford Bryant of Columbia. Bryant was a passenger in a 2013 Nissan Altima that left the roadway and struck a tree, Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill said.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Columbia High School soccer team posted Monday on Facebook that it lost a member of its team in the crash.

“Our hearts are broken; we are mourning the loss of a brother and teammate,” the post states.

The team hosted a candlelight vigil Monday night in honor of Bryant at the parking lot of Columbia Bath & Tennis Club near Bolm-Schuhkraft City Park.

The Hilltoppers Swim Club also posted on Facebook that it lost a “Gator family member” and also urged the community to attend the evening vigil, during which attendees will meet at the Columbia pool and walk to the Bryants’ home on Main Street.

“Crawford was an energetic and beautiful young man with a bright future ahead of him. We will be wearing our Gator shirts in his honor,” the swim club posted.

Columbia High School posted that “due to recent events, we will not take attendance at school (Tuesday). However, we will be open and have counselors and social workers present for those who need to talk.”

All of those involved in the crash were CHS students.

Classes have been canceled in the Columbia district on Thursday to allow students and staff to attend funeral services for Crawford. For a full obituary, click here.