BEACH PARK, Ill. — Sheriff’s officials say speeding and reckless driving led to a crash Saturday that left three people injured, including a Wisconsin man who suffered critical injuries.
At approximately 4:40 p.m. Saturday, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and local fire crews were dispatched to a multi-vehicle crash with injuries in the area of Sheridan Road and Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park. Sheriff’s deputies arriving on scene determined that three vehicles were involved, two with major damage.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the driver of a 2010 Subaru, driven by a 42-year-old man from Fitchburg, Wis., was traveling northbound on Sheridan Road approaching Yorkhouse Road. According to witnesses, the driver of the Subaru was driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed, sheriff’s officials said.
The driver of the Subaru attempted to pass a northbound 2006 Honda Civic, driven by a 20-year-old Zion man. Witnesses said the Subaru, while passing, struck the Honda causing both vehicles to lose control. The Honda went off the roadway and struck a tree and the Subaru continued northbound for several hundred feet, then went off the roadway, striking a utility pole, which then caused it to roll. The Subaru then struck a northbound 2002 GMC Sierra, driven by a 39-year-old Zion man.
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The driver of the Subaru was transported to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan, where he was reported in critical condition as of Sunday. The driver of the Honda and his front-seat passenger, a 21-year-old Zion man, were transported to Vista East Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the GMC and his passenger, a 7-year-old boy, were uninjured.
The crash remained under investigation as of Monday by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.
The number of U.S. traffic deaths in the first six months of 2021 hit 20,160, the highest first-half total since 2006, the government reported Thursday, a sign of growing reckless driving during the coronavirus pandemic.The estimated number was 18.4% higher than the first half of last year, prompting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to call the increase an unacceptable crisis.That percentage increase was the biggest six-month increase since the department began recording fatal crash data since 1975.The department, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, announced that it will develop a national strategy for steps to save lives on the roads."We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America," Buttigieg said in a statement Thursday. "No one will accomplish this alone. It will take all levels of government, industries, advocates, engineers and communities across the country working together toward the day when family members no longer have to say goodbye to loved ones because of a traffic crash."NHTSA also said that behavioral research from March through June showed that speeding and traveling without a seat belt remain higher than before the coronavirus pandemic. The agency has pointed to increasing road deaths, a trend for the last two years, on more reckless behavior on the roads.Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Today in history: Feb. 7
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1948: Omar Bradley
In 1948, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as U.S. Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1964: The Beatles
In 1964, the Beatles arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to begin their first American tour.
1984: Spacewalk
In 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered spacewalk, which lasted nearly six hours.
1985: Enrique "Kiki" Camarena
In 1985, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, by drug traffickers who tortured and murdered him.
1991: Jean-Bertrand Aristide
In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of Haiti (he was overthrown by the military the following September).
2009: Lake Erie
In 2009, a miles-wide section of ice in Lake Erie broke away from the Ohio shoreline, trapping about 135 fishermen, some for as long as four hours before they could be rescued (one man fell into the water and later died of an apparent heart attack).
2012: Rick Santorum
Ten years ago: In a setback for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum swept GOP caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and a non-binding primary in Missouri.
2014: Sochi Olympics
In 2014, the Sochi Olympics opened with a celebration of Russia’s past greatness and hopes for future glory.
2017: Betsy DeVos
Five years ago: Charter school advocate Betsy DeVos won confirmation as education secretary by the slimmest of margins, pushed to approval only by the historic tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence.
2020: Donald Trump
In 2020, two days after his acquittal in his first Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump took retribution against two officials who had delivered damaging testimony; he ousted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a national security aide, and Gordon Sondland, his ambassador to the European Union.
2021: Pope Francis
One year ago: Pope Francis resumed greeting the public in St. Peter’s Square, seven weeks after he interrupted the Sunday noon ritual to discourage crowds from gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One year ago: After moving south to a new team and conference, Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on the Buccaneers’ home field. Despite an order from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor requiring masks at Super Bowl parties, videos went viral on social media showing throngs of mostly maskless fans and packed sports bars as the hometown Buccaneers won the championship.
