The family of a 22-year-old Lake Forest College student who died after being struck by a car near Vernon Hills is speaking out as police continue searching for the suspect in the case.
An autopsy showed Wojciech Glowik, 22, of Glenview, died from multiple blunt force injuries, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
Banek said Glowik was taken off a ventilator at Advocate Condell Medical Center and pronounced dead Monday afternoon.
Lake County Sheriff Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies responded to a call of a person down in the 200 block of Route 45 in Indian Creek around 2:10 a.m. Saturday.
Deputies arrived to find Glowik unconscious after he had been struck by a vehicle near Route 45 and Evergreen Drive.
The Countryside Fire Protection District transported Glowik by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he later died, Covelli said.
A preliminary investigation shows the man was walking on or near the roadway.
Crash investigators believe he was struck by a passing white Audi SUV that was traveling southeast on Route 45, Covelli said.
The driver of the Audi did not stop after striking Glowik and continued southeast on Route 45.
“He was humble, kind, sweet, smart and handsome. We still feel his presence and are so devastated he did not come home to us,” the man’s family told ABC7 Chicago in a statement.
Glowik was a senior at Lake Forest College majoring in business finance.
He was working as a cashier in Prospect Heights at Deli 4 You Market and had recently begun working in their accounting office, the company said.
“No words can describe how much you will be missed, Wojtek. We are devastated to not be able to see your smile again. We miss you and love you,” the company said in a statement.
A GoFundMe account was started by a family member of Glowik as a memorial fund. It has raised almost $7,000 as of Thursday.
“He was an extremely hard-working and driven young man with entrepreneurial career aspirations to one day open a business of his own. He was the most kind young man most people had ever met with nothing negative to say about anyone,” Alec Petitpren said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday that the white Audi was manufactured between 2007 and 2017. It is a model Q5 or Q7.
The vehicle is believed to have minor front-end damage and is missing a passenger-side mirror.
Anyone who spots the Audi is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 847-549-5200.
Anyone with information about the crash or those who know who may have been driving the Audi are also asked to call the sheriff’s office.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.