A man was killed and three children were critically injured in a head-on crash that resulted in three medical helicopters being called near Woodstock Sunday afternoon.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded around 3:13 p.m. Sunday to the area of Route 14 and Dean Street for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries and entrapment.
Emergency crews were advised while en route of a multi-vehicle collision, with reports of one vehicle possibly on fire and multiple individuals trapped, according to Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha.
The response was upgraded through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to the box alarm level, bringing additional resources from Crystal Lake, Huntley, Marengo, McHenry County Emergency Management Agency and Wonder Lake to the scene.
Firefighters located a three-vehicle crash with two heavily damaged vehicles, a black SUV and a white SUV, in the middle of the roadway a quarter-mile west of Dean Street on Route 14, Vucha said.
Firefighters began triaging multiple victims and initiating extrication efforts. One of the vehicles was smoking but no active fire was reported.
A third vehicle, a Jeep, sustained minor damage after being struck during the crash. The driver of the Jeep was uninjured.
An adult male was ejected from the black SUV and pronounced dead at the scene, Vucha said.
Paramedics transported two other adults, one with moderate injuries and the other with critical injuries, to local hospitals.
Vucha said three juveniles suffered critical injuries and three medical helicopters were called to transport the critically injured patients.
One of the helicopters landed at the scene. The other two landed at helipads at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital.
The three juveniles were then airlifted to Level 1 pediatric trauma centers, Vucha said.
The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, Hampshire Fire Protection District, McHenry Township Fire Protection District and Nunda Rural Fire Protection District provided coverage for Woodstock’s fire district during the incident.
“The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District appreciates the assistance of multiple agencies that responded to provide aid,” Vucha said.
Route 14 remains shut down between Kishwaukee Valley Road and Dean Street as of 8:30 p.m. while the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office investigates the crash.
The sheriff’s office has not released information on the incident yet.