A 15-year-old teen driver “showed signs of impairment” after crashing an SUV into an auto body shop and a utility pole in Fox Lake early Saturday morning, authorities said.
Sgt. Rick Howell of the Fox Lake Police Department said officers were called to the scene of a reported single-vehicle crash in the 700 block of Rollins Road at 7:20 a.m. Saturday morning.
Howell said a white Chevrolet Traverse left the roadway, struck a utility pole, and then an auto body shop, causing major damage.
Personnel from the Fox Lake Fire Protection District were called to the scene and immediately began treating the 15-year-old driver and 15-year-old passenger for injuries.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the 15-year-old male driver was traveling westbound on Rollins at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle, Howell said.
The teen driver showed signs of impairment, Howell said, and was transported to Northwestern McHenry Hospital.
The teen driver was later upgraded to critical condition and transported by helicopter to Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
The teen passenger was also transported to Northwestern McHenry Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
He was treated and later released.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) was requested and responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.
ComEd also responded to the scene to stabilize and repair the utility pole.
The building was deemed uninhabitable until further inspection and repairs can be completed.
Doug Lewis, who owns the body shop, told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that he and another employee were working inside when he heard what sounded like a freight train derailing.
Lewis and the employee ran outside to find that the SUV had crashed through the wall at the front of their shop.
The Chevrolet ended up against the building, and its engine compartment caught on fire, Lewis said.
Lewis called 911, quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher, and used it to put out the fire.
The fire was extinguished by the time firefighters pulled up, Fox Lake Battalion Fire Chief Larry Van HoorelBeke said.
Paramedics began rushing one of the teenagers to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical condition, Van HoorelBeke said, but the ambulance diverted to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital because the teen was going in and out of consciousness.
The other teenager was also transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital in stable condition, Van HoorelBeke said.
No other injuries were reported, authorities said.
The front brick facade of the body shop also sustained significant structural damage.
Debris was scattered throughout the parking lot and on Rollins Road.
Tire marks were seen on the grass along the north side of Rollins Road just east of the business.
Lewis said that the crash caused a complete loss of business.
The shop, which was purchased in 2021, is in the process of notifying its customers of what happened.
Lewis added that the incident is a financial strain and said they would appreciate any business and support once they can reopen.