Lake County Gazette

Two residents of Gurnee, Illinois, were critically injured in a severe car accident on Saturday afternoon. According to the Lake County Sheriff's Traffic Crash investigators, the incident seems to have occurred when a driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.

The Gurnee Police Officers were dispatched to the scene around 2:15 p.m. on May 18 following reports of a vehicle colliding with a traffic pole on Stearns School Road near Fuller Road in Gurnee, as stated in a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The officers' preliminary investigation revealed that another accident involving the same vehicle had taken place at Route 41 and Stearns School Road. This location falls within the jurisdiction of the sheriff's office, leading to deputies being summoned to the scene.

According to another press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, an 88-year-old woman from Gurnee was driving a Toyota Rav4 southbound on Route 41 and was attempting a right turn onto westbound Stearns School Road. Simultaneously, a 20-year-old woman from Richmond was driving her Kia Forte northbound on Route 41 and attempted to turn left onto westbound Stearns School Road. Witnesses reported that both drivers made their turns as the traffic light cycled from green to yellow and then red, resulting in minor damage due to collision.

An 89-year-old man from Gurnee who was traveling as a passenger in the Rav4 stated that its driver had accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of applying brakes. This led to loss of control over the vehicle which then crashed into a utility pole near Stearns School Road and Fuller Road intersection. Both occupants of Rav4 were rushed to a nearby hospital with critical injuries deemed life-threatening. The driver of Forte escaped unscathed.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office Technical Crash Investigations Team is currently investigating this crash, as confirmed by a subsequent press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.