On April 25, 2016, at approximately 5:45PM, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area of 15750 West Route 173, Unincorporated Zion, for a traffic crash with injuries. The crash occurred on Route 173, at the entrance of the Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve.

Preliminary investigation shows a 66 year-old man, driving a 2007 Cadillac CTS, was exiting the Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve. For an unknown reason, as he was exiting, his vehicle came to a stop on Route 173 in the lanes of traffic. A 2001 Ford Expedition, driven by a 51 year-old man, was traveling westbound on Route 173, approaching the Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve. The front of the Ford struck the driver’s side of the Cadillac.

The driver of the Cadillac was transported via ambulance to Vista East Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the Ford was transported to Lake Forest Hospital, with non-life threatening injuries.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on the driver of the Cadillac on April 26, 2016, in the morning. The traffic crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.