Police are investigating after a car hit and critically injured a woman before fleeing the scene and being found up the road in North Chicago late Saturday evening.
The North Chicago Police Department, North Chicago Fire Department, Lake Bluff Fire Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to Buckley Road and Green Bay Road in North Chicago for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Police officers and firefighter/paramedics arrived to find a pedestrian – a 26-year-old woman – lying in the roadway with severe injuries, North Chicago Assistant Police Chief Gary Lunn said.
Paramedics rushed her to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical condition.
The car that hit the woman fled the scene.
Witnesses described the car as a Volkswagen sedan, Lunn said.
At around 11:50 p.m., Park City police officers found the Volkswagen Jetta at the entrance to the Greenbelt Forest Preserve across from the Greenbelt Cultural Center, which is about two miles north of where the crash occurred.
“The vehicle was found to have damage consistent with striking a pedestrian and the driver admitted to leaving the scene of the crash,” Lunn said.
The driver’s side windshield and the car’s hood were damaged.
The Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) of Lake County was requested to investigate the crash.
Police and MCAT investigators were processing evidence at Buckley Road and Green Bay Road and at the Greenbelt Forest Preserve entrance.
It appeared the collision occurred in the westbound lanes of Buckley Road just west of Green Bay Road.
A pair of shoes and a cup were left at the scene.
The westbound lanes of Buckley Road at Green Bay Road were shut down for around three hours while investigators worked the scene.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Auxiliary Deputy Unit assisted with traffic control.
Ernie’s Wrecker Service responded to remove the Volkswagen.
The crash remains under investigation by the North Chicago Police Department and MCAT.
It’s currently unclear what charges may be filed against the driver of the Volkswagen.