Juvenile, 4 Adults Hospitalized After Two Crashes Minutes Apart in Gurnee Area

GURNEE, Ill. — A juvenile and four adults were hospitalized following two separate crashes that occurred minutes apart in the Gurnee and unincorporated Lake Villa area on Aug. 30.

The first crash occurred around 5:45 p.m. on westbound Interstate 94 near Route 120 in Gurnee.

Illinois State Police and firefighters responded to a two-vehicle crash with possible entrapment. One vehicle was found on its side about 10 feet into a ditch.

Three adults from the overturned vehicle were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with non-life-threatening injuries. A fourth occupant declined medical transport.

Bystanders helped the occupants out of the vehicle before firefighters arrived.

The second vehicle involved in the crash was found unoccupied farther down the interstate after its driver fled the scene.

State police later arrested the driver and charged him with DUI.

About five minutes later, firefighters were dispatched to another crash on Route 45 west of Rollins Road in unincorporated Lake Villa.

A car traveling eastbound on Rollins Road left the roadway near a curve and struck a utility pole before coming to rest in a ditch.

Three people were inside the vehicle.

A juvenile passenger and an adult passenger were transported to the hospital. The driver was not injured.

A witness reported seeing the vehicle traveling at an estimated 140 mph on Rollins Road in the rain shortly before the crash. The witness stopped at the scene and helped one of the injured passengers from the vehicle.

Two eastbound lanes of Rollins Road were temporarily closed following the crash. ComEd was called to repair the damaged utility pole.