Authorities have identified a Mundelein man who died after he was ejected from a truck during a rollover crash near Antioch. A GoFundMe has been launched to help his family.
An autopsy showed Eleazar Hernandez, 56, of Mundelein, died as a result of traumatic head injuries due to a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Antioch Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:30 p.m. Saturday to Route 45 and Route 173 in Antioch Township for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
A preliminary investigation shows a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer, driven by a 59-year-old Mundelein man, pulled out of the BP gas station, which is on the northwest corner of the intersection.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said the driver of the Chevrolet briefly drove westbound on Route 173 and then onto the shoulder on the north side of the roadway.
The driver of the Chevrolet then attempted to make a U-turn to travel eastbound on Route 173. The Chevrolet was struck by a westbound 1999 Lexus ES 300, driven by a 25-year-old Buffalo Grove man.
This caused the Chevrolet to roll over and the front-seat passenger of the Chevrolet, identified as Hernandez, was ejected from the vehicle, Covelli said.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived, Good Samaritans were conducting CPR on Hernandez.
He was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was later pronounced dead in the emergency room around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The driver of the Chevrolet was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Lexus was uninjured.
A GoFundMe account has been launched by Beto Abrego, who is a family friend of Hernandez, to assist the family.
The page was started on Monday and has already raised $1,200 with a goal of $10,000.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit and Lake County Coroner’s Office.