A traveling band from Mexico has issued a statement saying their members are all expected to survive after three were severely injured and six others were hospitalized when their van crashed into a tree in McHenry.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 7:20 p.m. Saturday to the area of Route 31 and Prime Parkway in McHenry for a vehicle crash with entrapment.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ryan Mastandrea said initial reports indicated a transport van had crashed and multiple people were injured.
Emergency crews arrived on the scene in six minutes and found a heavily damaged transport van that had struck an electrical pole.
Multiple injured occupants were found on the ground outside the vehicle, Mastandrea said.
It was determined that no occupants were trapped in the vehicle. Firefighters began to triage the occupants and render treatment, Mastandrea said.
Arcing power lines were encountered at the scene and ComEd was called to mitigate the hazard.
A transformer on the damaged utility pole malfunctioned, causing a loss of power to parts of McHenry.
McHenry Deputy Chief of Police Thomas Walsh said an investigation showed a white Ford E-350 van and trailer were traveling northbound on Route 31.
The driver fell asleep behind the wheel, causing the van to veer into the southbound lane and hit a utility pole in front of 1501 South Front Street, Walsh said.
A total of two fire engines, multiple fire chiefs and seven ambulances responded to the scene due to the number of injured victims.
14 people occupied the van at the time of the crash, Mastandrea said, adding that all of them were adults.
Nine of them were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
Mastandrea said three of the nine suffered severe injuries, including one victim who was flown by a LifeNet helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, which is a Level 1 trauma center.
Two were transported to Mercyhealth Hospital in Crystal Lake, two were transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington and four were transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
The five remaining occupants were evaluated at the scene and declined transport to the hospital.
Walsh said the victim who was flown to the hospital suffered a fractured pelvis and a fractured femur.
The group in the van was La Picosa Hernandez Banda, a traveling band from Ocotlán de Morelos, Mexico.
They were traveling from Aurora, Illinois, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to perform a concert when the crash occurred, Walsh said.
La Picosa Hernández Banda issued a public statement saying that all band members are safe and that none of them have life-threatening injuries.
“We deeply appreciate all the expressions of affection, concern, and messages we have received from our audience and colleagues. It comforts us to know that we have your unconditional support,” the band said in a statement translated from Spanish to English.
“We reiterate our commitment to you and to each performance we put on with so much love and dedication. We will continue to inform you about the progress of our colleagues and any relevant updates. Thank you for your understanding. The most important thing is that, thank God, we are all fine, and fortunately, this was only a big scare,” the statement said.