Authorities say a Vernon Hills man died after suffering a medical event and crashing his car into a pole in the parking lot of a grocery store in Lake Zurich Tuesday afternoon.
The Lake Zurich Police Department and Lake Zurich Fire Department responded around 2:14 p.m. Tuesday to Mariano’s, 1350 Route 22 in Lake Zurich, for a report of a single-vehicle crash.
A 911 caller reported the driver of the vehicle was unresponsive, according to fire department radio traffic.
Lake Zurich Deputy Police Chief David Anderson told Lake and McHenry County Scanner the driver of the 2006 Honda Pilot had put his car into drive and then experienced a medical event.
The Honda struck a light pole in the parking lot of the grocery as a result.
Paramedics pronounced the driver of the Honda dead at the scene, Anderson said.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as Oscar Viegas, 76, of Vernon Hills.
Viegas was the sole occupant of his vehicle and no one else was injured in the crash, which was described as low speed, Anderson said.
The Lake Zurich Police Department Traffic Safety Division responded to conduct an investigation. Officers were on the scene for a couple of hours.
The coroner’s office said their investigation showed Viegas died as a result of natural causes and had no trauma.