A Chicago man, who was a Serbian entrepreneur and banker, has been identified as the driver that died after he crashed into the rear of a semi-truck in North Chicago last week.
An autopsy showed that Slobodan Pavlovic, 83, of Chicago, died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The North Chicago Police Department and North Chicago Fire Department responded around 1:10 p.m. Thursday to Route 41 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for a vehicle crash.
North Chicago Police Chief Lazaro Perez told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that officers arrived and found a crash involving a semi-tractor trailer truck and a Nissan Rogue.
A preliminary investigation revealed the Nissan, driven by Pavlovic, was traveling southbound on Route 41 approaching a red light at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The Nissan drove into the rear of the semi-trailer that was stopped at the light, Perez said.
Paramedics transported Pavlovic to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he later died as a result of his injuries.
The 58-year-old male driver of the semi-truck consented to toxicology testing and a test from a drug recognition evaluator.
No impairment is suspected in the driver of the truck, Perez said.
Southbound Route 41 was closed just north of the intersection for several hours Thursday afternoon while the Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County conducted an investigation.
According to his obituary, Pavlovic was a prominent Serbian entrepreneur and banker who was born in Popovi, Bijeljina, Republic of Srpska.
“Slobodan’s wisdom and his kind and generous heart will be sorely missed by families Pavlovic, Krkljus, Looze and Poulcano, as well as by numerous other family members, Kumovi, dear friends in Serbia, the USA and worldwide,” his obituary said.
The crash remains under investigation by the North Chicago Police Department, Major Crash Assistance Team and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.