A contractor has been arrested after authorities say he was driving a skid steer under the influence when he ran over a fellow worker, killing him, at an Illinois Tollway facility in Gurnee.
The Gurnee Fire Department and Illinois State Police responded around 7:30 a.m. on October 18 to the Illinois Tollway M-4 building, located along Interstate 94 near Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
A 911 caller reported a person had been run over by a skid steer.
The victim was unconscious and it was not known if he was breathing, according to fire department radio traffic.
The Illinois State Police said private contracted employees — not employed by the Illinois Tollway — were laying asphalt at the facility.
One of the private contractors, Michael Vazquez, 39, of Oak Forest, was operating a skid steer.
Police said Vazquez backed up and ran over another contracted employee, identified as Gregory Bolls, 39, of Chicago.
He suffered life-threatening injuries and paramedics transported Bolls to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said that Bolls died in the hospital on October 20.
Bolls died from blunt force injuries from being run over, an autopsy confirmed.
The state police announced Friday that the agency’s investigation into the fatal crash was recently completed.
The investigation showed Vazquez had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash, state police said.
The case was screened with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, which approved the charge of aggravated driving under the influence causing death, a Class 2 felony, and an arrest warrant was issued.
Vazquez surrendered on the warrant to the Lake County Jail on Thursday.
The state’s attorney’s office filed a petition to detain Vazquez pending trial. A detention hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon but has been delayed until Monday afternoon.