The coroner has identified a man who died after the sheriff said he tried passing another car and caused a head-on crash that also left three children critically injured near Woodstock on Sunday.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office 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 the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency and the Crystal Lake, Huntley, Marengo, Union and Wonder Lake fire departments 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.
The sheriff’s office said a preliminary investigation showed a 2018 Mercedes-Benz SUV was traveling eastbound on Route 14 while a white 2017 Toyota 4Runner was traveling westbound on Route 14.
The Mercedes-Benz, driven by Abuzar Zaidi, 33, of Elgin, attempted to pass a vehicle pulling a trailer in the no-passing zone before colliding head-on with the Toyota in the westbound lane, sheriff’s officials said.
A 2018 Jeep, traveling westbound behind the Toyota, struck the left rear of the Toyota while attempting to avoid the initial crash. The Jeep sustained minor damage and no one was injured in the vehicle.
Firefighters began triaging multiple victims and initiating extrication efforts, Vucha said. One of the vehicles was smoking but no active fire was reported.
Zaidi, who was not believed to be wearing his seatbelt, was ejected from the Mercedes-Benz and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner’s office, the sheriff’s office and Vucha.
Three medical helicopters responded to the incident with one of them landing at the scene. The other two landed at helipads at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital.
A 6-year-old boy who was in the Mercedes-Benz and wearing his seatbelt suffered critical, life-threatening injuries. He was transported by medical helicopter to the hospital.
The driver of the Toyota, a 43-year-old Cross Plains, Wisconsin man, was transported to a local hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries, sheriff’s officials said.
A 43-year-old woman, a Cross Plains, Wisconsin resident and a passenger in the Toyota, was transported with moderate, non-life-threatening injuries.
Two passengers in the Toyota, an 11-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy were both flown to the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries.
Investigators believe all occupants in the Toyota were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash and airbags deployed in both vehicles.
The sheriff’s office said the Mercedes-Benz is believed to have been involved in a crash on Route 14 near the intersection with Kishwaukee Valley Road just prior to the fatal crash.
“All events are part of an ongoing investigation by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office,” sheriff’s officials said Wednesday.
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 was shut down between Kishwaukee Valley Road and Dean Street until around 9 p.m. while the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash.
Zaidi worked as an executive director at Everspring, a Chicago-based education company.
One of his co-workers, Cathy Goodman, said Zaidi was a “remarkable soul who touched countless lives with his infectious energy and boundless warmth.”
“His presence was a gift to all who knew him – from his contagious laughter that could light up any room, to his ever-changing hairstyles and beard choices that kept us guessing, to his impeccable fashion sense that never failed to impress. But what truly set Abuzar apart was his extraordinary ability to make everyone feel special,” Goodman said.
“Abuzar’s legacy of joy, kindness, and love will live on through his family and all those whose lives he touched,” she added.
A GoFundMe account was created to raise money to support his family. It has raised over $60,000.