A man died after he was ejected from his motorcycle and left unresponsive after crashing off the roadway along Route 14 in Crystal Lake Saturday evening, police said.
The Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 8:45 p.m. Saturday to the area of Route 14 and Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Officers arrived and found the crash at Route 14, also known as Virginia Street, and Lakeshore Drive, according to Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann.
The crash involved a single vehicle — a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was only occupied by the operator.
Neumann said a preliminary investigation shows that the motorcycle was traveling eastbound on Route 14 near Lakeshore Drive.
The motorcycle left the roadway for unknown reasons and the driver was ejected in the crash.
The operator, a 38-year-old Warrenville man, suffered life-threatening injuries, Neumann said.
A 911 caller reported the victim was on the ground and not moving. A medical helicopter was placed on standby but canceled.
An ambulance transported the man to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he was pronounced dead.
A portion of Route 14 was shut down for approximately two and a half hours while a crash investigation was conducted, Neumann said.
The identity of the victim remains withheld pending notification to his next of kin.
A witness said he believed the crash was the result of operator error. “It was dark, street lights were on, not a whole lot of traffic, but he did appear to be speeding.”
“Looked like he tried to take a shortcut right turn through that corner lot and caught some debris which looked like the remains of an old base for a sign post, & it sent him sailing. The driver was motionless and from what I could see unresponsive. The motorcycle looked in worse shape,” the witness said.
Neumann said the crash remains under active investigation by the Crystal Lake Police Department.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Crystal Lake Police Department at 815-356-3620.
Anonymous tips can also be sent to the Crystal Lake Police Department by texting the word CLPDTIP along with the tip information to 847411.