A 72-year-old man was killed and a second driver along with a dog were both seriously injured in a head-on crash near Zion Tuesday morning, sheriff’s officials said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Newport Fire Protection District and Pleasant Prairie Fire Rescue Department responded around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday to Russell Road between Interstate 94 and Kilbourne Road in unincorporated Zion.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies arrived to find a head-on crash with injuries.
A Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Malibu were involved and both sustained major damage.
A preliminary investigation shows the Ford, driven by a 46-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin man, was traveling westbound on Russell Road.
The Chevrolet, driven by a 72-year-old Indian Creek man, was traveling eastbound, Covelli said.
The Ford crossed into the eastbound lanes of traffic and traveled in the wrong direction.
The Ford struck the Chevrolet head-on near the Des Plaines River bridge.
Covelli said the driver of the Chevrolet sustained major injuries. He was heavily trapped in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Ford sustained serious injuries. He was initially reported to have been possibly ejected after being found on the ground outside of his car.
Investigators are unsure if he was actually ejected or if he got out of his car and collapsed immediately following the crash, Covelli said.
The 46-year-old man was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Covelli said a dog inside one of the vehicles was injured.
Lake County Animal Care and Control responded and transported the dog to a veterinarian. The dog’s condition was unknown.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy on the 72-year-old man, whose identity is being withheld.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.