On February 26, 2023, at approximately 6:10 p.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a battery in progress, which initially occurred in the area of Green Bay Road and Wadsworth Road in Beach Park.  The offender fled in a vehicle and the victim followed the offender to the area of Lewis Avenue and Yorkhouse Road,  Waukegan.  

Two responding sheriff’s deputies were traveling southbound on Lewis Avenue with their emergency lights and siren activated.  As the sheriff’s deputies approached Edgewood Road, in Waukegan, a Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by a 59-year-old man of North Chicago, was traveling eastbound on Edgewood Road.  The driver of the pickup truck did not stop at the stop sign and drove directly in the path of the southbound sheriff’s deputies.  The first sheriff’s deputy was able to swerve into the northbound lanes of traffic to avoid striking the pickup.  The second sheriff’s deputy was unable to avoid hitting the pickup, and struck the pickup’s front driver’s side.  

The sheriff’s deputy was injured in the crash and transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.  She remains hospitalized this morning.  

The driver of the pickup truck was transported to Vista Medical Center in Waukegan with non-life-threatening injuries.  

The driver of the pickup indicated the last thing he remembered before the crash was opening a beer.  Waukegan Police Department is investigating the traffic crash and any subsequent charges.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, “One of our sheriff’s deputies was seriously injured in a crash because a thoughtless individual felt it was more important to drink a beer while driving, putting everyone on the roadway at risk, instead of driving safe.  We say it time and time again, don’t drink and drive.  We are all wishing our deputy a speedy recovery.”