A man was killed and left heavily trapped in a car after crashing into the rear of a semi-tractor trailer truck on Green Bay Road in Zion Saturday morning.
The Zion Police Department, Zion Fire and Rescue Department and Winthrop Harbor Fire Department responded around 5:28 a.m. Saturday to 9th Street and Green Bay Road in Zion for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Officers arrived to find a car and a semi-truck involved in the crash.
The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Green Bay Road north of 9th Street near the GFL Zion Landfill.
A bystander and officers reported the driver of the vehicle was unconscious and not breathing, according to fire department radio traffic.
Paramedics reported the car had “catastrophic damage” after rear-ending the semi-truck.
Paramedics also reported the victim was heavily trapped in the vehicle and would need to be extricated from the wreckage.
Fire crews worked for over 15 minutes to free the victim.
The victim, a man in his early 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
The man’s identity is being withheld pending an autopsy and notification to the next of kin. No other injuries were reported.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) responded and was on the scene for several hours conducting an investigation.
The Zion Police Department said Green Bay Road between 9th Street and Russell Road was shut down and reopened around 12 p.m. Saturday.
The police department has not said yet how the crash was caused.