On Sunday, April 3, 2022 at approximately 3:00 AM, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 16000 block of W. Illinois Route 173 in Wadsworth for a single-vehicle traffic crash. Upon arrival, Sheriff’s deputies located a red 2002 Chevrolet Blazer on its side off the roadway. The vehicle’s driver and sole occupant, a 45-year-old male from North Chicago, was unresponsive. Paramedics from the Newport Township Fire Protection District evaluated the subject and determined he was deceased. 

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Technical Crash Investigations Team responded to the scene. The preliminary investigation showed the Chevrolet Blazer was traveling eastbound on W. Illinois Route 173 approaching N. Mill Creek Road. For an unknown reason, the Chevrolet Blazer entered the westbound lanes of traffic and went into the embankment on the north side of the roadway. The Chevrolet Blazer struck a utility pole and trees before coming to a stop on its side. 

Crash investigators and the Lake County Coroner’s Office are working to determine if impairment was a factor in this crash. The identification of the deceased driver is being withheld pending notification to his family. 

The investigation will continue through the Sheriff’s Technical Crash Investigations Team.