A 49-year-old Zion man died and two children in his car, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old, were both critically injured, one of which had to be flown to the hospital, after a major four-vehicle crash in Beach Park Friday evening.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Beach Park Fire Department responded around 6:45 p.m. Friday to a vehicle crash on Green Bay Road north of Wadsworth Rd in Beach Park.
Emergency crews arrived and found a major crash involving four vehicles, according to Lake County Sheriff Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
A preliminary investigation shows a 2017 Jeep Patriot, driven by a 50-year-old woman from Zion, was traveling northbound on Green Bay Road.
The Jeep was illegally passing a tow truck towing a semi-tractor and the Jeep drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Green Bay Road, Covelli said.
The Jeep then crashed head-on into a southbound 2014 Kia Soul, driven by a 49-year-old man from Zion.
A Ford Explorer, driven by a 58-year-old woman from unincorporated Zion, was traveling southbound directly behind the Kia.
The Jeep also crashed into the Ford.
The collision caused the Jeep to rotate and strike the tow truck, which was driven by a 35-year-old man from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Covelli said.
There was an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy both from Zion in the Kia.
Both children were unrestrained and suffered critical injuries, Covelli said.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was requested to the scene.
The 11-year-old boy was flown by helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
The 13-year-old boy was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
The 49-year-old man driving the Kia was transported by ambulance to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was later pronounced dead.
The 50-year-old woman driving the Jeep was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center with minor injuries.
A passenger in the Jeep, a 60-year-old woman from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was transported by ambulance to Vista Medical Center East with minor injuries.
The 58-year-old woman driving the Ford and a passenger, a 24-year-old man from unincorporated Zion, were both transported by ambulance to Vista Medical Center East with minor injuries.
The 35-year-old man driving the tow truck was uninjured.
An autopsy for the 49-year-old man has been scheduled for Tuesday.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.