The sheriff says a McHenry man was intoxicated when his car veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a semi-truck, leaving him trapped near Crystal Lake Monday.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 3:50 p.m. Monday to the area of Walkup Road and Running Iron Drive in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a vehicle crash with entrapment.
A 911 caller reported a head-on crash with one victim unconscious, according to fire department radio traffic.
Two ambulances were dispatched to the scene and a medical helicopter was placed on standby.
Fire crews arrived and found a two-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck hauling a dump trailer and an SUV, according to Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Darrell Cook.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker said an initial investigation showed that a gray Nissan Murano, driven by a 42-year-old McHenry man, was traveling northbound on Walkup Road.
The Nissan exited the lane of traffic and collided with the semi-truck, which was traveling southbound on Walkup Road.
The crash resulted in heavy damage, Cook said, adding that both drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles.
Cook said the driver of the Nissan was trapped inside and firefighters quickly extricated him within minutes.
The adult driver of the semi-truck was out of the vehicle and evaluated by paramedics but declined transport to the hospital.
The driver of the Nissan was brought to an ambulance and rushed to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry in unknown condition.
His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. The medical helicopter was then canceled.
Walkup Road was shut down between Edgewood Road and Crystal Springs Road for approximately two hours while the sheriff’s office conducted an investigation.
The vehicles were towed from the scene and the roadway was reopened around 5:40 p.m. Monday.
Matusek-Baker said the driver of the Nissan was charged with two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and improper traffic lane usage.
He was given an initial court date of October 7 for a plea hearing.