A man died after he drove off the roadway and his car rolled over into a retention pond, leaving him trapped inside, in Wauconda Wednesday morning.
The Wauconda Police Department and Wauconda Fire Protection District responded around 10:24 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Main Street and Garland Road in Wauconda for a vehicle crash and water rescue.
Emergency crews arrived to find a vehicle upside down in a retention pond on the northeast corner of the intersection, according to Wauconda Police Chief David Wermes.
Firefighters found one occupant trapped inside a 2010 Ford Edge, which was partially submerged.
Wermes said witnesses reported the Ford was traveling northbound on Main Street when it struck the curb at Garland Road.
The Ford went over the curb off of the roadway before coming to rest on its roof in the pond.
Bystanders attempted to rescue the driver and suffered minor injuries in the process, Wermes said. They were evaluated but declined transport to the hospital.
Multiple fire departments were called to the scene and fire personnel worked to extricate the male victim from the driver’s side of the Ford.
The 38-year-old man was freed from the Ford within 10 minutes and pronounced dead at the scene, Wermes said.
Rescue divers searched the vehicle and the entire pond and found no other victims.
Wermes said the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) and Wauconda Police Department are investigating the cause of the crash.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy for Thursday morning.
The man’s identity is being withheld until after the autopsy.