Driver critically injured in crash near Wauconda

WAUCONDA – Lake County Sheriff’s traffic crash investigators are investigating an early morning single-vehicle crash that resulted in critical injuries.

About 4:40 a.m. April 13, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a traffic crash with injuries in the area of Fairfield Road and Chardon Road near Wauconda. A vehicle reportedly had struck a tree, according to a news release.

The vehicle, a 2016 GMC Sierra, was occupied only by the driver, a 28-year-old Palatine man, who suffered critical injuries in the crash and required extrication from the vehicle by the fire department.

Preliminary investigation shows the driver was traveling south on Fairfield Road when, for an unknown reason, he crossed the center line and left the pavement on the east side of the roadway. The vehicle then crossed a driveway and struck a large tree head-on, according to the release.

The driver was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical, life-threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.