The coroner has released the identity of a 26-year-old man who died after he crashed his car into a tree, leaving him trapped inside the vehicle, near Gurnee early Saturday morning.
A preliminary coroner investigation showed that Kyle Debevec, 26, of Gurnee, died as a result of blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Gurnee Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:05 a.m. Saturday to the area of Stearns School Road and Mill Creek Drive in unincorporated Gurnee for a vehicle crash with entrapment.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found a Mercedes-Benz sedan with heavy damage.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said a preliminary investigation shows the Mercedes-Benz was traveling eastbound on Stearns School Road approaching Mill Creek Drive.
The driver, identified as Debevec, drove off the south side of the roadway and struck a tree, Covelli said.
The driver’s side of the vehicle sustained a significant amount of damage.
Covelli said it appears Debevec was not wearing a seat belt. He was trapped in the wreckage.
Firefighters extricated the man from the vehicle and paramedics transported him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Covelli said Debevec suffered critical, life-threatening injuries.
Banek said Debevec died from his injuries in the intensive care unit at the hospital several hours later.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.