
The sheriff says a woman riding her bicycle was killed after she was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle and then run over by a second car in Wadsworth Friday evening.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Fire Protection District responded around 11:45 p.m. Friday to the area of Dilleys Road just south of Wadsworth Road in Wadsworth.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies responding to calls of a “person down” found an adult female dead lying in the roadway.
The woman suffered significant trauma consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
Sheriff’s crash investigators believe the woman was riding a bicycle northbound on Dilleys Road when she was struck from behind by a northbound GMC SUV, Covelli said.
She was thrown from the bicycle when struck and her bicycle became lodged under the SUV as the driver fled from the scene.
Covelli said the woman was then run over by a southbound Hyundai Elantra, driven by a 23-year-old Waukegan man.
The driver of the Hyundai is cooperating with the investigation.
A witness told investigators they saw a GMC SUV dragging a bicycle eastbound on Wadsworth Road, Covelli said. The bicycle was later recovered.
The vehicle was identified and located parked at a residence in Winthrop Harbor.
The vehicle had damage consistent with being involved in the hit-and-run crash.
Covelli said the vehicle was seized and crash investigators identified the suspected driver as a 32-year-old Winthrop Harbor man.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and is in the process of identifying the woman and scheduling an autopsy.
Covelli said criminal charges will be sought following the conclusion of the investigation.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.