An employee was found crushed to death underneath a vehicle after it fell off a lift onto him inside an auto repair shop in Wauconda Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The Wauconda Fire District, Fox Lake Fire Protection District and Wauconda Police Department responded around 8:52 a.m. Tuesday to the 300 block of West Liberty Street in Wauconda for a traumatic injury call.
A car had reportedly fallen on top of a person inside Hard Times General Repair, 398 West Liberty Street, which is an auto repair shop.
Wauconda Police Department Detective Sgt. Heather Cognac said first responders located a 37-year-old man pinned under the front end of a vehicle.
Firefighters lifted the vehicle and extricated the victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A preliminary investigation shows that the vehicle was elevated approximately five feet on a lift, Cognac said.
The vehicle’s rear end came off the lift while the victim was underneath.
Cognac said the man was unable to exit the area before the front end of the car also came off the lift, resulting in him being crushed beneath the vehicle.
An employee who was present when the incident occurred called 911. The victim was also an employee of the business, Cognac said.
Wauconda Police Chief David Wermes said the police department “extends our deepest sympathies” to the victim’s family and loved ones “during this difficult time.”
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to take possession of the victim for an autopsy.
His identity remains withheld pending the autopsy, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, and notification to next of kin.
The incident remains under active investigation by the Wauconda Police Department and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.