The coroner has released the identity of a Wadsworth man who died after crashing his pickup truck into a dump truck, causing both vehicles to roll over, near Lake Bluff Saturday.
An autopsy performed Monday showed that Philip Jerina, 36, of Wadsworth, died as a result of blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Libertyville Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 9:25 a.m. Saturday to Waukegan Road and Muir Avenue in unincorporated Lake Bluff for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said sheriff’s deputies arrived and found a 2004 Mack semi-truck and a 2010 Toyota Tacoma involved in the crash.
The semi-truck, driven by a 21-year-old Round Lake Beach man, was hauling a loaded dump trailer.
A preliminary investigation showed the Mack was traveling northbound on Waukegan Road, Covelli said.
A 2010 Toyota Tacoma, driven by Jerina, was traveling southbound on Waukegan Road.
The Toyota drifted into the northbound lanes of traffic for unknown reasons, Covelli said.
The driver of the Mack was unable to avoid the collision and the two vehicles collided head-on.
Libertyville Deputy Fire Chief Steven Holtz said firefighters arrived to find the semi-truck had rolled over and the pickup truck was also rolled over.
The crash occurred south of the intersection and left the pickup truck heavily damaged, Holtz said.
The material being hauled in the semi-truck’s dump trailer spilled onto the roadway when the truck rolled over.
Firefighters found Jerina trapped inside the Toyota and he needed to be extricated.
The call was upgraded for additional crews to the scene to assist with the extrication, Holtz said. The Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and North Chicago fire departments responded.
Covelli said Jerina had suffered major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured and declined transport to the hospital.
Waukegan Road remained shut down for hours into Saturday afternoon for a crash investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.