Two people were hospitalized in critical condition after an apparent T-bone crash that left the cars significantly damaged on Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, police said.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 9:56 a.m. last Saturday to the area of Lewis Avenue and Ballentine Street for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal said officers arrived and found a two-vehicle crash.
A silver Chevrolet pickup truck and a white Nissan SUV crashed in the roadway.
The Chevrolet appeared to have been struck on its passenger side by the Nissan’s front end.
Both vehicles sustained heavy damage in the crash, Neal said.
The driver of the Chevrolet was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical but stable condition.
Neal said the driver of the Nissan was also transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
There was one passenger in the Nissan who was transported by ambulance to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Waukegan Police Department Major Crash Unit responded to the scene and Lewis Avenue was completely shut down for hours.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Waukegan Police Department.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded again to the same area the following day for another serious crash at Lewis Avenue and Partridge Street.
Officers arrived and found a single-vehicle crash into a tree, which left the driver injured, Neal said.
Video from the scene showed officers, one of whom had a ballistic shield, ordering the man to put his hands out the window in an attempt to secure him as the fire department arrived.
He was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical but stable condition.
Neal said the driver is suspected to have been involved in an earlier criminal incident in Waukegan, which remains under investigation by the Waukegan Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.