One man was injured following a crash with a semi-truck that left him pinned in a wooded area near Harvard Sunday, officials said.
The Harvard Fire Protection District was dispatched to the area of Route 173 and Crowley Road in unincorporated Harvard for a reported crash with entrapment on Sunday at 2:37 p.m.
Harvard Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said while crews were en route, additional 911 callers reported that an SUV had collided with a semi-truck and the adult male driver was pinned inside the SUV.
Crews arrived a short time later and confirmed a two-vehicle crash with moderate to heavy damage and that one vehicle had left the roadway and came to rest in the wooded area, Vucha said.
The driver of the SUV was trapped and required extrication, Vucha said.
Firefighters began immediate efforts to free the patient, Vucha said, and additional resources were requested, including Mercyhealth MD-1 medical helicopter, and an engine from the Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District for manpower support.
The man was extricated from the vehicle in under 10 minutes and transferred to the awaiting helicopter, Vucha said, where he was airlifted to Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside in Rockford with serious injuries.
The female driver of the semi-truck reported no injuries.
The roadway remained closed in both directions for approximately two hours while emergency crews operated on the scene.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the crash, Vucha said.