Man Suffered Medical Episode Before Fatal Crash: Coroner

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL – A 61-year-old Lake Villa man exhibited "seizure-type activity" prior to a fatal crash in rural McHenry County on Wednesday morning. McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski has ruled the death of Gerald Goodwin was caused by blunt force injuries to his head and chest, according to preliminary findings from an autopsy performed Thursday. The single-vehicle crash happened at about 10:19 a.m. on Wednesday in the 5400 block of Flanders Road in unincorporated McHenry, authorities said.

Prior to the crash, witnesses saw Goodwin slumped over the his steering wheel and told police the man was having "seizure-type activity." When witnesses came to his aid, Goodwin's car began rolling forward and then accelerated at a high rate of speed.

Goodwin's 2004 Dodge Ram proceeded east on Flanders Road, traveling off the roadway to the north and coming back onto the road again before exiting the roadway to the south where it crashed into a tree, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

(For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Emergency personnel were called to the scene and Goodwin was extricated from the vehicle, according to the coroner's office news release.

Goodwin was taken to Centegra Medical Center in McHenry where he was later pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. on Wednesday.

• 1 Killed in McHenry County Crash
  

An investigation into Goodwin's death is ongoing. A final determination on the cause of his death will be determined after the coroner's office has reviewed Goodwin's medical history, the accident reconstruction report, witness statements, and toxicology testing.

https://www.facebook.com/CrystalLakePatch/">CrystalLakePatch</a></blockquote></div>

Photo via Shutterstock