Delivery Driver Identified After Fatal Medical Emergency, Crash Near Zion

ZION, Ill. — Authorities have identified a delivery driver who was found dead after suffering an apparent cardiac event before his van left the roadway and entered a forest preserve near Zion.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as Arkadiusz Knych, 49, of Streamwood. Knych was found Wednesday afternoon inside a Ford van at Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve in unincorporated Zion. 

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Newport Fire Protection District responded around 1:15 p.m. to the area of the forest preserve parking lot at 15705 West Russell Road after a passerby called 911 to report an unresponsive person.

When deputies and paramedics arrived, they discovered a single-vehicle crash and found Knych unconscious and not breathing inside the van. Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined the Ford had been traveling westbound on Russell Road, west of the Des Plaines River, when it failed to follow a curve in the roadway.

The van traveled off the road to the south, passing through thick brush and a small tree line before striking a small tree and coming to rest inside Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve. 

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said the damage to the vehicle was minor and investigators did not initially believe Knych suffered significant injuries in the crash.

“It is possible the man had a medical event prior to driving off the roadway and striking a small tree,” Covelli said.

An autopsy performed Thursday provided additional answers.

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the examination indicated Knych suffered a cardiac event that led to the crash. The autopsy also confirmed that he did not suffer significant injuries from the collision. 

Lake County Sheriff’s Office crash investigators responded to the scene as a precaution while the Coroner’s Office took possession of Knych for the autopsy.

Officials said Knych appeared to have been working as a delivery driver at the time of the incident. Authorities have not determined which company he was delivering for or what cargo he was transporting.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and Knych was the van’s sole occupant.