Two drivers died Monday morning after a Ford Edge crashed into a Nissan while traveling the wrong way on Route 41 north of Stearns School Road in unincorporated Gurnee. | Photo Submitted to Lake and McHenry County Scanner

The coroner has released the identities of a Grayslake man and an Antioch man that were both killed after one of them caused a wrong-way crash on Route 41 near Gurnee Monday.

Autopsies showed that Ricky Smallwood, 54, of Antioch, and Ronnie Goggans Jr., 32, of Grayslake, died as a result of blunt force injuries from a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 4:05 a.m. Monday to Route 41 a half-mile north of Stearns School Road in unincorporated Gurnee.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said dispatchers received a call for a head-on crash with injuries in the northbound lanes.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a Nissan Altima and Ford Edge with major damage.

A preliminary investigation shows Goggans, who was the driver of the Nissan, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of traffic, Covelli said.

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The Nissan struck a northbound Ford Edge, driven by Smallwood.

Two drivers died Monday morning after a Ford Edge crashed into a Nissan while traveling the wrong way on Route 41 north of Stearns School Road in unincorporated Gurnee. | Photo Submitted to Lake and McHenry County Scanner

The Nissan, which was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, caught on fire following the impact, Covelli said.

Goggans was pronounced dead at the scene.

Smallwood was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries.

Smallwood was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

Autopsies were performed Monday by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

All northbound lanes of Route 41 from Stearns School Road were shut down most of Monday morning.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigation Team.