A 22-year-old woman who abruptly exited a friend’s vehicle in the middle of Orchard Road in the early morning of Monday, May 22 morning was struck and killed by oncoming traffic, Aurora police said.

According to Aurora police, officers were called to a report of a body in the roadway on Orchard Road, in the southbound lanes, between Galena Boulevard and Illinois Avenue at around 2:15 a.m.

When police arrived they found Karla Benavides, of Geneva, dead in the roadway.

A 26-year-old Oswego resident who was driving a 2015 Subaru reported traveling southbound on Orchard road and striking Benavides, who was apparently lying in the roadway at the time.

Police said the Subaru’s driver pulled over immediately and remained on the scene until police arrived. The Subaru driver was able to flag down an off-duty police officer who helped on-scene, according to Aurora Police Investigative Lt. Jeff Wiencek

The driver was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and was cooperative with police.

Investigators are trying to determine if the Subaru was the sole vehicle to strike Benavides during the incident.

“When the car struck her, she had been thrown down in the roadway already,” Wiencek said. He was unsure if she was injured during her exit from her friend’s vehicle, or struck prior to the Subaru.

According to preliminary information, police believe that the Benavides exited from a friend’s black Chevy Equinox, which was traveling along Orchard Road, prior to the crash. The reason for her abrupt exit is still under investigation.

Wiencek said passengers of the SUV told police Benavides had “been partying earlier” and that they tried to persuade her to re-enter the vehicle following her exit.

A 911 call was made to police by someone inside the vehicle notifying dispatchers that Benavides had exited the vehicle and was in the roadway, Wiencek said.

Police are working to locate any other potential witnesses to the incident, or those with knowledge of Benavides’ activity prior the crash.

Benavides was transported to the Kane County Coroner’s office and an autopsy will be performed. The crash is being investigated by Aurora Police Department Traffic Division.

Anyone with useful information on the crash is asked to call the Aurora Police

Department’s Traffic Division (630) 256- 5330 or Crime Stoppers (630) 892- 1000.

— Woman killed along Orchard Road in Aurora —