The coroner has released the identity of a Navy sailor who died after they crashed their car into a guardrail and a concrete wall on Naval Station Great Lakes base in Lake County.
The Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services and U.S. Navy Police responded around 10:45 p.m. Sunday to a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
The crash occurred on Ziegemeier Street within Naval Station Great Lakes, which is a street located along the shore of Lake Michigan.
A Honda sedan appeared to be traveling southbound on Ziegemeier Street when it struck a guardrail and then a concrete wall.
The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner’s office said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the driver on Wednesday as 28-year-old Makaio Bartley.
The Honda was the sole vehicle involved and no passengers were reported to be in the vehicle.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene and took possession of Bartley.
The coroner’s office performed an autopsy on Bartley on Monday.
The results showed Bartley died as a result of blunt force injuries from the vehicle crash, Banek said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigation Team was called to the scene to assist with the investigation.
A spokesperson for the naval base said there is limited information available for release at this time. “Due to an ongoing NCIS investigation, we are unable to offer further details at this moment.”
Bartley was a U.S. Navy sailor stationed at the base and originally from California.
“We mourn the loss of our shipmate, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Sailor’s family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time,” the base spokesperson told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Navy Police, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.