The sheriff says alcohol is believed to be a factor after a motorcyclist from Crystal Lake died in a three-vehicle crash on Route 47 between Hebron and Woodstock Wednesday evening.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded around 5:23 p.m. Wednesday to the 5800 block of Route 47 in unincorporated Woodstock for a vehicle crash with injuries.
The McHenry County Conservation District Police and McHenry County Emergency Management Agency also responded to the call.
A 911 caller reported a crash involving a motorcycle and a landscaping truck.
A male victim was reported to be down in the roadway and was unconscious and not breathing.
A medical helicopter and Mercyhealth MD-1, a mobile response physician, were requested to respond to the incident.
Emergency crews arrived and confirmed a victim down in the roadway on Route 47 between Thayer Road and Allendale Road, according to fire department radio traffic.
The sheriff’s office said Thursday that a preliminary investigation shows a 2009 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling southbound on Route 47.
A 2016 Ford Explorer was traveling northbound on Route 47 in the same area when the Harley-Davidson crossed over the center line, striking the Ford in the northbound lane.
The Harley-Davidson then struck a trailer that was being pulled by a 2018 Chevrolet pickup truck, sheriff’s officials said.
A 44-year-old Crystal Lake man, who was driving the motorcycle, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday on the victim, whose identity remains withheld.
A 42-year-old Hebron man, who was the driver of the Ford, was uninjured and did not require transport to the hospital.
A 32-year-old Hebron man and a 34-year-old man, who was a passenger in the Ford, were also uninjured and not transported to the hospital.
Sheriff’s officials said alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.
Sheriff’s deputies shut down both directions of Route 47 between Thayer Road and Allendale Road for several hours during the investigation.
The sheriff’s office reported around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday that the roadway had been reopened.
The investigation remains ongoing by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.