DEKALB COUNTY, Ill. — A pair of memorials are honoring the life of a DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy killed in a crash Thursday night.

Troopers were called to the scene on Route 23, just south of Perry Road, around 10:40 p.m. According to Illinois State Police, a preliminary investigation showed Deputy Christina Musil, 35, was sitting in her squad car on the right shoulder, when she was hit.

Police said it still is not clear why the driver of a Kenworth truck went off the roadway and rear-ended the deputy’s squad car. Musil was rushed to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she later died.

The truck driver was not injured in the crash. A woman, who identified herself as the truck driver’s wife, said her husband was taken into custody after the crash.

Those who knew Musil described her as an exceptional person and officer, who not only dedicated her life to serving her community, but also her country.

According to Sheriff Andy Sullivan, Musil was a five-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, where she ‘courageously’ served in the Corrections and Patrol divisions.

Musil served as a military police officer in the Army National Guard for four years, and deployed to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009.

Major General Rich Neely, the Adjutant General for Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard shared a statement with WGN News Friday.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Deputy Christina Musil including the Soldiers of Freeport’s 333^rd Military Police Company. Deputy Musil deployed with the 333^rd Military Police to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009. This was a tough combat deployment, and we know the veterans of that tour remain close today. Like many of our Soldiers who are also law enforcement officers, Christina served her community, state, and nation honorably in multiple ways.”

Thursday’s tragedy left a sweeping feeling of sadness among many locals.

“It really touched my heart,” said Bonnie Roliardi. “They are somebody here to protect us, and this is what happens to them.”

Community members, including Roliardi, said they felt compelled to stop by and pay their respects to the fallen deputy and her department. A memorial, including a cruiser draped in a bunting flag, is set up in front of the courthouse in downtown Sycamore.

“Just horrible. I feel really bad for her family to have to go through this. Easter’s on Sunday,” said Roliardi. “I just feel for them. I really do.”

Roliardi said that while she didn’t know Musil, she believes that support is what her family and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office need now more than ever.

“Something tragic happened to me. I had the support of the community, which was fantastic to me,” she said.

Roliardi said she was a dispatcher with the Algonquin Police Department in the 1980s, when tragedy hit close to home. Her fiancé, a police officer, drowned while trying to help a person who fell into the river during a flood.

“You can’t have too much love or too much care, especially when you lose somebody like this at 35,” she said.

March 28th has proven to be a somber day for law enforcement in Illinois, with several similar tragedies happening over the last decade.

In 2013, the driver of a semi-truck slammed into 28-year-old Illinois State Police trooper James Sauter’s squad car as he was stopped in the southbound shoulder of the Tri-State Tollway in Glenview. The crash caused both vehicles to burst into flames at the scene, where Sauter was pronounced dead.

Six years later, Trooper Brooke Jones-Story, 34, was killed while conducting a traffic stop in Freeport. She had pulled over a truck she was inspecting on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 20 when a semi-truck plowed into her, struck her squad car and the stopped truck, ISP said.

In DeKalb, near the area where the crash happened Thursday night, residents said they have witnessed far too many crashes.

“You can hear them from here. You can hear the serious accidents from our backyard, from our living room,” said Molly Stoffa.

According to several residents WGN News spoke with, they have long been expressing concerns over people running stop signs on Perry Rd., speeding, and the lack of visibility at night.

Stoffa said she recently went to a DeKalb County board meeting to seek safety enhancements.

“I’ve told them about some of the experiences my husband and I have had rendering aid to people there,” said Stoffa.

While residents said most of these crashes occur near the intersection of Perry and Route 23, Thursday night’s crash was just south of this. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the truck driver to veer off and strike the deputy’s cruiser.

A small memorial also marks the spot where the crash claimed Musil’s life.

Community members said they will continue to wrap the police department and the deputy’s family in support as they process this tragedy.

“I thank her for her support and what she has done and the rest of the department as well,” Roliardi said.

The sheriff’s office said funeral arrangements are pending and the crash remains under investigation by ISP and the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office. No charges had been announced as of Friday evening.