Police say a minivan driver unexpectedly drove into the back of a stopped car and then drove over a nearby frozen pond, causing damage to two other cars on Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
The Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 4:23 p.m. to the Buona Restaurant, 7360 Grand Avenue in Gurnee, for a report of a three-vehicle crash.
Emergency responders arrived and found three vehicles – a Red Toyota Sienna minivan, a silver MINI Cooper, and a gray Honda Accord sedan – involved in the crash.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said that a preliminary investigation shows the Toyota minivan, driven by a 74-year-old Waukegan man, was traveling westbound on Grand Avenue approaching Almond Road.
The minivan came to a stop for the red light at Almond Road.
“While stopped, the van unexpectedly accelerated forward and struck a silver MINI Cooper that was stopped in front of it,” Gaylor said.
The van drove over a curb, left the roadway, and drove over a frozen pond north of Grand Avenue and west of the Buona parking lot before coming to a rest in the grassy area.
The initial collision caused the MINI Cooper to be pushed into the Honda Accord, which was also stopped in traffic, Gaylor said.
The driver of the MINI, a 35-year-old Lindenhurst man, was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center as a precaution.
The other two drivers were not injured and refused transport to the hospital.
The crash left debris scattered in the right turn lane for Buona.
No citations were issued at the time, Gaylor added.
It is unknown what caused the Toyota to accelerate forward.
The crash remains under investigation by the Gurnee Police Department.