Fatal Crash Snarls Route 83 Traffic

LONG GROVE, IL — A semi truck driver is dead following a two-vehicle crash in Long Grove Thursday morning. The collision, which happened at about 11:10 a.m. at Route 83 and Westmoreland, has shut down 83 and is expected to snarl traffic through the evening commute.

Authorities say the crash happened when a semi truck pulling a trailer loaded with about 40,000 pounds of cargo smashed into a 2015 Toyota minivan as it attempted to turn left from southbound Route 83 onto eastbound Westmoreland Drive. The semi was heading north on Route 83 and veered right to try and avoid the collision but ended up hitting the Toyota, a traffic light pole and then coming to rest in a ditch, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Witnesses told police the traffic light on Route 83 was yellow at the time of the collision.

The driver, a man whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The minivan driver, a 45-year-old Vernon Hills woman, was taken to Condell Medical Center with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning. Meanwhile, southbound Route 83 is expected to reopen by 5:30 p.m. while northbound Route 83 will remain closed for about eight hours for emergency signal repairs.