1 Killed, 3 Seriously Injured In Fiery Crash

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 66-year-old Mundelein man was killed in a collision Saturday afternoon after his sports utility vehicle crashed into a tree and he became trapped inside the fiery vehicle, authorities said. Meanwhile, a 36-year-old Grayslake man was critically injured in the crash and two others sustained serious injuries.

The collision happened at about 4:45 p.m. then a 2019 Ford Expedition was headed south on Gilmer Road. Authorities say they are not sure why the vehicle — while traveling in the 29000 block of Gilmer Road in Fremont Township — swerved to the right and then the left before driving off the road and running into a tree.

The vehicle burst into flames and was fully engulfed in flames when emergency personnel arrived at the scene.

The driver of the SUV, a 66-year-old Mundelein man, was not able to get out of the car and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A backseat passenger, a 36-year-old Grayslake man, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained major injuries, including burn injuries. He was taken to Condell Medical Center and then flown to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where he remains in critical condition, according to a news release.

Two other passengers in the SUV, a 37-year-old Chicago man and a 36-year-old Chicago man, were able to get out of the burning SUV and were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries.

The caused of the crash remains under investigation.