The coroner’s office has identified a 53-year-old Waukegan man, who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver at a high speed early Saturday morning in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 12:30 a.m. Saturday to the 2400 block of Washington Street for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.
Police found Michael Walton, 53, of Waukegan, in the street with serious injuries. The man was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead later that morning.
The Waukegan Police Department’s Traffic Division was called to investigate the crash due to the severity of the incident, the department said.
Police investigators believe that a black sedan was traveling eastbound on Washington Street at a high rate of speed when the vehicle struck Walton. Witnesses in the area told police they heard a “very loud exhaust,” the Waukegan Police Department said.
An autopsy conducted on Walton showed he died of blunt force injuries caused by a vehicle, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper. Routine toxicology results are pending.
Police continue to search for the driver of the suspect vehicle. Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call the Waukegan Police Department’s tip line at 847-360-9001.