A man was critically injured and had to be airlifted after he crashed his minivan into a utility pole at Route 23 and Streit Road in unincorporated Harvard Saturday morning. | Photo: Harvard Fire Protection District

A man was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition after his minivan crashed into a utility pole in unincorporated Harvard Saturday morning, fire officials said.

The Harvard Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10:55 a.m. Saturday to Route 23 and Streit Road in unincorporated Harvard for a report of a vehicle crash involving a utility pole.

Rescue crews arrived and found a heavily damaged minivan that crashed with a utility pole, Harvard Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said.

Rescue crews with the Harvard Fire Protection District and flight medics with Mercyhealth REACT respond to a single-vehicle crash that left a man in critical condition at Route 23 and Streit Road in unincorporated Harvard Saturday morning. | Photo: Harvard Fire Protection District

“The male driver had been removed from the vehicle before their arrival and was lying on the ground nearby,” Vucha said.

The collision also caused significant damage to the pole.

Rescue crews quickly assessed the situation and requested a Mercyhealth REACT medical helicopter and Mercyhealth MD-1, which is an emergency response physician, to assist, Vucha said.

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A Mercyhealth REACT medical helicopter was called to airlift a critically injured man after he crashed into a utility pole at Route 23 and Streit Road in unincorporated Harvard Saturday morning. | Photo: Harvard Fire Protection District

The helicopter landed at the scene and airlifted the man to Javon Bea Hospital – Riverside in Rockford in critical condition.

The crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.