A delivery driver was found dead after he drove off the roadway and crashed into a small tree following a possible medical event at a forest preserve near Zion Wednesday afternoon.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Fire Protection District responded around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday to the area of the Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve parking lot, 15705 West Russell Road in unincorporated Zion, for an unresponsive person call.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies arrived to find a single-vehicle crash after a passerby called 911.
Deputies and paramedics found the sole occupant of the vehicle was unconscious and not breathing inside his vehicle.
The Ford van appeared to have been traveling westbound on Russell Road west of the Des Plaines River, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton.
Newton said the driver did not respond to the curve and drove off the roadway to the south through thick brush and a small tree line. The vehicle came to rest inside Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve.
The driver, a 49-year-old Streamwood man, was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving measures being attempted, Covelli said.
Covelli said the damage to the Ford was minor and it did not appear the driver suffered significant injuries as a result of the crash.
“It is possible the man had a medical event prior to driving off the roadway and striking a small tree,” he said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office crash investigators responded to the scene as a precaution.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office arrived at the scene and took possession of the man for an autopsy.
His identity has not been released yet and an autopsy was performed on Thursday, with the results pending.
Newton said the man was a delivery driver but it is unclear what company he was delivering for or what cargo he was transporting.