The coroner’s office has released the identity of a man who died after he was found unresponsive following a crash into a fire hydrant and a tree in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Fire Department and Waukegan Police Department responded around 6:03 a.m. Monday to the 2700 block of West Florida Avenue in Waukegan for a report of a vehicle crash.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said officers arrived and found a low-speed crash that resulted in minor damage.
A car had struck a fire hydrant and then hit a tree.
The driver was found unresponsive and paramedics transported him to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Chastain said.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital and the Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified.
Chastain said the crash appears to be the result of some type of medical episode and there were no obvious signs of trauma on the driver.
Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said the driver was identified as Salomon Rogel-Rodriguez, 64, of Waukegan.
Witnesses reported Rogel-Rodriguez pulled over nearby prior to the crash and then began driving again before crashing.
Newton said Rogel-Rodriguez did not have injuries from the crash and it appears he suffered from serious underlying heart problems.