Route 83 in Long Grove remains closed after a semi-truck driver was killed during a violent crash involving a minivan, which caused the semi-truck cab to detach from the truck after it drove off the roadway.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Countryside Fire Protection District and Mundelein Fire Department responded around 11:10 a.m. Thursday to Route 83 and Westmoreland Drive in Long Grove for a two-vehicle crash with injuries.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said that a semi-truck was traveling northbound on Route 83.
A 2015 Toyota minivan, driven by a 45-year-old Vernon Hills woman, was attempting to turn left onto eastbound Westmoreland Drive from southbound on Route 83 when it was t-boned by the truck.
The semi-truck, driven by an adult male, then struck a traffic light pole and drove into an embankment on the northeast corner of the intersection. Both vehicles sustained major damage, Covelli said.
The driver of the semi-truck, who was heavily trapped in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman driving the minivan was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening.
The semi-truck was carrying 40,000 pounds of cargo. Witnesses reported the traffic light for northbound and southbound Route 83 was yellow at the time of the crash.
Extended extrication was required to remove the semi-truck driver and it will take a significant amount of time to remove the truck from the ditch, Covelli said.
Both directions of Route 83 remain closed from Route 45 to Gilmer Road as of 6 p.m. Thursday. Northbound lanes of Route 83 will remain closed until at least midnight while crews repair the traffic light.
Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said that an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday morning on the semi-truck driver.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit and Lake County Coroner’s Office.