Two men in their 20s were killed Sunday morning after their vehicle went airborne for approximately 200 feet and came to a rest in an embankment near unincorporated Zion.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Fire Protection District responded around 6:45 a.m. Sunday to West Russell Road and Delany Road in Newport Township for a report of a single-vehicle crash with injuries.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a 2006 Infiniti sedan with major damage, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.
A preliminary investigation shows the Infiniti was traveling northbound on Delany Road. As the vehicle approached Russell Road, the driver failed to reduce speed and drove the vehicle off the east side of the roadway, Covelli said.
This caused the Infiniti to go airborne for approximately 200 feet. The vehicle was airborne as it crossed Russell Road before crashing to the ground.
“Northbound Delany Road reaches a dead-end at Russell Road, and drivers must turn left or right onto Russell Road,” Covelli said, adding that excessive speed appears to be a factor in the crash.
The vehicle was occupied by two men, one who was 23 years old and the other who was 27 years old, Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper told Lake and McHenry County Scanner. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Cooper said that both victims were identified Sunday afternoon and their families had been notified. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday morning and their names will be publicly released after the autopsy.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.