Police say they have charged a driver who suffered multiple injuries after he crashed his pickup truck into a strip mall, leaving a hole in the building and causing a gas leak in Gurnee.
The Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 8:35 p.m. Sunday to Panera Bread and Xfinity, 6440 Grand Avenue, for a report of a vehicle that struck the strip mall.
Two fire engines, an ambulance and the fire shift commander responded, Gurnee Fire Department acting shift commander Lt. Joe Olsen said.
Officers and firefighters arrived to find a Chevrolet Silverado that crashed into the rear of the Xfinity store near the Panera Bread drive-thru.
A natural gas line was also struck, causing a leak. North Shore Gas responded and mitigated the leak.
“We did have initial reported entrapment. Upon arrival, there was no entrapment. Our crews removed the patient from the vehicle,” Olsen said at the scene.
Paramedics transported the driver to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Fire officials were unable to elaborate on the driver’s injuries or condition.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said the 49-year-old Gurnee man driving the vehicle suffered multiple injuries.
He received immediate medical attention before being transported to the hospital.
The driver was the sole occupant of the Chevrolet. No other vehicles were involved.
Olsen said there were occupants inside the strip mall units when the crash occurred.
“We evacuated them immediately upon arrival,” Olsen said. No one else was injured.
“As of right now, there’s no structural issues to the building,” Olsen added.
Gaylor said the crash resulted in significant damage to the vehicle and a large hole in the building.
The Gurnee Building Department and 1-800-BOARDUP were called to the scene.
A preliminary investigation showed the driver may have been experiencing a medical issue at the time of the crash, Gaylor said.
He has been charged with reckless driving and criminal damage to property.
A surveillance video shared with Lake and McHenry County Scanner showed the moments leading up to the crash and the crash itself.
The Chevrolet was traveling west from Prairie Creek Drive and Gurnee Mills Circle West into the rear parking lot of Xfinity when it suddenly veered and slammed into the building.
The truck did not appear to slow down prior to the impact.