The vehicle that caused a fatal multiple-vehicle crash on Route 173 in Fox Lake last weekend had fled from police in Richmond minutes before the crash, authorities said.
A Richmond police officer observed a red Saturn coupe committing several traffic violations, including lane use, safety zone and turn signal violations, at around 7:45 p.m. June 11, Richmond Police Chief Ciro Cetrangolo told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the Saturn near Route 12 and Ami Drive in Richmond.
The Saturn did not yield to the officer’s emergency lights and sirens and it fled southbound on Commercial Street, Cetrangolo said.
The vehicle crossed Route 173 and turned southbound onto Route 12 towards downtown Richmond when officers terminated the pursuit.
The Richmond Police Department’s vehicle pursuit policy says officers should consider a number of factors when deciding to terminate a pursuit, including “hazards to uninvolved bystanders or motorists.”
According to police radio traffic, the Saturn ran two stop signs while attempting to flee the officer and almost hit a car while traveling southbound on Route 12 from Broadway Street in downtown.
At around 8 p.m., the same Saturn crashed on Route 173 between Wilmot Road and Converse Road in Fox Lake, killing the driver.
Fox Lake Deputy Police Chief Dawn Deservi told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the Saturn was traveling eastbound on Route 173 when it attempted to pass a vehicle.
The Saturn clipped the back of a second vehicle and went into oncoming traffic, crashing into a third vehicle.
Emergency crews responded and found the red Saturn coupe, a black Toyota Highlander and a black Buick involved in the crash.
Addem Wynstra, 31, of Capron, was identified as the driver of the Saturn and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The drivers of the Toyota and Buick were both transported by paramedics to area hospitals.
They have since been treated and released, Deservi said.
A motorcyclist was not directly involved in the crash but laid their motorcycle down in a ditch to avoid crashing into the other three vehicles.
The motorcycle rider refused medical treatment at the scene.
A witness told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that bystanders, including a nurse, attempted life-saving measures on Wynstra.
He died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the crash, an autopsy by the Lake County Coroner’s Office showed.
The Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County (MCAT) was requested due to the seriousness of the crash and the roadway was closed for around five hours while the crash was investigated.