The sheriff says a 23-year-old man from Woodstock who was possibly under the influence died after his speeding truck slammed into trees, causing heavy damage near Crystal Lake Sunday morning.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:19 a.m. Sunday to the 9400 block of Butternut Drive in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a report of a vehicle crash with entrapment.
Sheriff’s deputies first on the scene reported the male driver was unconscious and not breathing, according to fire department radio traffic.
They also reported he was trapped in the vehicle and they were unable to open the driver’s side door.
Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Jim Sustek said fire crews arrived on the scene within six minutes and found a single-vehicle crash.
The car had driven off the roadway and crashed into a tree, Sustek said. The vehicle was heavily damaged.
Paramedics assessed the victim and the severity of the crash and determined the victim was deceased at the scene.
The sheriff’s office said the driver was a 23-year-old Woodstock man. His identity is being withheld pending an autopsy and notification to family.
A preliminary investigation shows that the 2024 Toyota Tacoma was traveling westbound on Butternut Drive when the driver failed to negotiate a curve.
The Toyota exited the roadway to the south, traveled across Chestnut Drive and struck several trees.
The male driver, who was the sole occupant of the Toyota, was pronounced dead on the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit responded.
Firefighters remained on the scene to assist the sheriff’s office with the investigation and to assist in removing the victim from the car.
The coroner arrived and firefighters performed extrication to free the deceased victim from the wreckage just before 5:30 a.m.
Speed, weather conditions and alcohol may have been contributing factors in the crash, sheriff’s officials said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.