The coroner’s office has identified a baby and his mother who were both killed after a two-vehicle crash that left five others injured on the border of Gurnee and Waukegan.
Angel Gutierrez, 8 months old, and his mother, Cecilia Gutierrez-Ramos, 29, both of Waukegan, died as a result of blunt force injuries from a vehicle crash, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 4:15 p.m. Saturday to the intersection of Green Bay Road and Atlantic Avenue in unincorporated Waukegan for a report of a vehicle crash.
Deputies arrived and found two vehicles with major damage, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said.
A preliminary investigation shows a Dodge Journey, driven by a 34-year-old Zion man, was traveling northbound on Green Bay Road.
A Toyota Corolla, driven by a 27-year-old Waukegan man, pulled out onto Green Bay Road from a private parking lot on the east side of the roadway, Covelli said.
A t-bone crash occurred where the Toyota was struck on its driver’s side by the Dodge.
Gutierrez, who was restrained in a car seat behind the driver of the Toyota, suffered critical injuries.
Paramedics transported him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was pronounced dead, Covelli said.
Gutierrez-Ramos, who was in the front passenger seat of the Toyota, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 7-year-old boy from Waukegan who was seated behind Gutierrez-Ramos in the Toyota suffered serious injuries. He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center.
The driver of the Toyota was also transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center with serious injuries.
The driver of the Dodge was transported to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with serious injuries, Covelli said.
Two passengers in the Dodge, a 19-year-old Beach Park man and a 24-year-old Zion man, were transported to Vista Medical Center East with minor injuries.
Green Bay Road was shut down for several hours while a crash investigation was being performed.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office performed autopsies on the infant and his mother Monday.
Rocio Morales Flores, who is a relative of Gutierrez-Ramos, created a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral costs. The verified account has raised over $3,000 so far.
The boy and his mother will be transported back to their home country to be buried, Flores said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.