A Waukegan man is in critical condition and five others, including several children, were hospitalized after a wrong-way driver caused a three-vehicle crash in Beach Park Thursday evening.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 7:35 p.m. Thursday to the area of Lewis Avenue and Beach Road in Beach Park for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found three vehicles with serious damage just north of the intersection, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
A preliminary investigation showed a 2004 Mini Cooper, driven by a 52-year-old Waukegan man, was traveling northbound on Lewis Avenue.
Witnesses reported seeing the Mini Cooper driving erratically before the crash, Covelli said.
The driver of the Mini Cooper, for unknown reasons, crossed into the southbound lanes of traffic.
Covelli said the Mini Cooper collided head-on with a 2004 Buick SUV, driven by a 34-year-old from Waukegan, as the Buick was traveling southbound.
The Mini Cooper then struck a 2018 GMC SUV, driven by a 48-year-old Zion woman, as the GMC was traveling southbound.
The driver of the Mini Cooper suffered critical injuries and was transported to an area hospital where he remains in critical condition, Covelli said.
The driver of the GMC and the driver of the Buick, along with three children in the Buick, were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Lewis Avenue was shut down in both directions while crash investigators worked at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.