A Round Lake Beach man, who is a father of two kids, is expected to survive after he was hit by a car near Grayslake but is facing a “long journey ahead,” his family said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded around 10:30 p.m. Friday to the area of Route 60 and Fairfield Road in unincorporated Grayslake.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies received a call for a two-vehicle crash with no injuries.
While responding, a second 911 call was placed to sheriff’s dispatchers indicating a pedestrian was just struck in the same area, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a 28-year-old Round Lake Beach man with critical injuries.
A preliminary investigation shows the 28-year-old man was involved in the initial traffic crash.
He was outside of his vehicle assessing damage and speaking to the other party involved when he crossed the street to return to his vehicle, Covelli said.
While crossing, he was struck by a southbound 2002 Lexus IS300, driven by an 18-year-old Wauconda man.
The 28-year-old pedestrian was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries.
Fairfield Road shut down in both directions just north of Route 60 for several hours following the incident.
Samuel Escobar, who is a relative of the victim, identified the man as Hector Gutierrez, a father of two children.
Gutierrez is recovering at the hospital. “We have a long journey ahead of us but we believe in our warrior,” Escobar said.
A GoFundMe was created to help with living and medical expenses for Gutierrez and his family, Escobar said.
The fund has already raised over $2,000 in less than a day with a $15,000 goal.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.