The police chief says a Barrington man had parked his car along the road before crossing a busy roadway where he was fatally hit by a car in a “tragic” Thanksgiving crash in Kildeer.
The Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department and Kildeer Police Department responded around 5:30 p.m. Thursday to the area of Quentin Road and Rand Road in Kildeer for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Officers arrived to find a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian on Quentin Road south of Rand Road, according to Kildeer Police Chief Steve Balinski.
Officers found the male victim was unconscious and not breathing as he lay in the roadway.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim on Tuesday as Donald Dougal, 71, of Barrington.
Balinski said Dougal was pronounced dead at the scene due to the extent of his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle, who is approximately 24 years old, submitted to blood and urine tests after the crash.
A preliminary investigation showed that there was no suspicion of impairment with the driver of the vehicle, Balinski said.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT), which consists of police departments throughout the county, was called to assist the Kildeer Police Department in the crash investigation.
Quentin Road was shut down for several hours while the crash was investigated by MCAT.
Balinski told Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Wednesday that the vehicle, a BMW, was traveling northbound on Quentin Road in the curb lane when it struck Dougal.
Dougal had been driving his car on Quentin Road when he parked the vehicle on the west side of the street and attempted to cross.
Dougal was crossing from west to east and was struck by the BMW as he almost made it across the roadway. The man was by himself at the time.
Balinski said investigators are working to figure out whether Dougal’s vehicle may have broken down or whether he was looking for something in the roadway.
The police chief said it is only speculation at this point as to the reason the man tried crossing the busy roadway. His department is awaiting a final report from MCAT, which could take months.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to take possession of Dougal for an autopsy.
The Lake Zurich Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Citizens Emergency Response Team assisted the Kildeer Police Department at the scene.
Balinski said this was a “very tragic event that occurred on Thanksgiving evening.”
An autopsy performed on Monday showed Dougal died as a result of blunt force injuries from the collision, Banek said.
The incident remains under investigation by the Kildeer Police Department and MCAT.