Woman Distracted By Young Kids In Car Runs Into Bicyclist: Police

WAUCONDA, IL — A woman told authorities she became distracted by young children in her SUV when she accidentally ran into a bicyclist on Fairfield Road near Route 176 Sunday morning, police said.

The collision happened at about 7 a.m. when the Dodge SUV was headed south on Fairfield Road, just north of Route 176, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The bicyclist was taken to the hospital and sustained life-threatening injuries, authorities said Monday morning.

Authorities say that prior to the crash, the SUV driver, a 24-year-old Palatine woman, became distracted by young children in her car. She turned her attention away from the roadway and veered right, hitting the bicycle, which was traveling on the right side of the roadway and also headed south on Fairfield.

The bicyclist, a 48-year-old Waukegan man, hit the front of the SUV, its windshield and then ended up underneath the car. The man was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.