Four people were seriously injured and trapped after a wrong-way intoxicated driver caused a two-vehicle rollover crash on Route 41 in Wadsworth, the sheriff’s office said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Fire Protection District responded around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday to Route 41 and Wadsworth Road for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said sheriff’s deputies located two vehicles involved with heavy damage on Route 41 south of Wadsworth Road in the southbound lanes of traffic.
A preliminary investigation shows a 2013 Honda, driven by a 40-year-old Zion man, was traveling northbound on Route 41 in the southbound lanes of traffic.
As the Honda traveled the wrong way, the vehicle struck a 2019 Kia head-on as it was traveling southbound, Covelli said.
The impact caused the Kia, which was driven by a 17-year-old Evanston boy, to roll onto the center barrier and flip over before coming to a rest.
The drivers of the Kia and Honda along with two Honda passengers were all transported to area hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Three of the four injured victims were trapped and had to be extricated by firefighters. The Gurnee, Beach Park, Lake Villa and Zion fire departments also assisted at the scene.
Covelli said that sheriff’s deputies believe intoxicating substances could have been a contributing factor in the crash.
The investigation remains ongoing by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.