Coroner IDs Man Killed In Crash That Ejected 5 Near Gurnee

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Authorities in Lake County are reminding residents to buckle up, and make sure their children are properly restrained, following a fatal collision that lead to two young boys being ejected from a vehicle and seriously injured. The boys, ages 2 and 4 years old, were riding unbuckled on the laps of two adults when the sports utility vehicle they were riding in collided with a pickup truck at Route 45 and Rollins Road near Gurnee.

"It's rare our deputies find children unrestrained," Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Christopher Covelli told Patch. It's also "extremely rare" to come upon a crash where five people, including two young children, are totally ejected and not killed, he said.

The passengers ejected from the GMC — a 2-year-old boy, 4-year-old boy, 24-year-old woman, 31-year-old woman and 63-year-old woman — were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment of critical or serious injuries, and all are expected to survive, according to police. An update on their conditions was not immediately available Wednesday.

Authorities say it appears the two boys were sitting on the laps of backseat passengers at the time of the collision.

"For both children and adults, being restrained in a vehicle is their best chance of not being critically injured or killed in a crash," Covelli said.

The crash did claim the life of a 62-year-old man sitting in the front seat of the Envoy when the collision occurred at about 6:40 p.m. on Sunday. The man, who was identified Wednesday as Joaquin Calderon of Mundelein, died from blunt force injuries as a result of the crash, Lake County Coroner's deputy chief Stephen Newton said in a statement.

Authorities believe the GMC Envoy was hit by a Ford pickup truck while turning left on a yellow light from westbound Rollins Road onto southbound Route 45 in unincorporated Gurnee.

It's unclear at this point if Calderon was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision as authorities continue to investigate the collision. He was not ejected, Covelli said.

Calderon was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital Sunday evening.

The driver of the GMC, a 34-year-old Mundelein man, was also taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center for the treatment of serious injuries.

Two passengers in the Ford, a 19-year-old Round Lake Beach man and 19-year-old Round Lake Heights man, were taken to Lake Forest Hospital with injuries that are serious but not life-threatening, according to a news release. The driver of the Ford was treated by paramedics at the scene.

A westbound Toyota Venza that was in the area of the collision was hit by debris at the time of the crash.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Car Seat Safety

Properly installed car seats and booster seats are a key factor in keeping young children safe when they are involved in a crash. And parents and caregivers are tasked with keeping their child's car seat up to date and making sure they are safely secured in that seat.

According to the National Traffic Safety Alliance, a car seat should be used that fits your child's current size and age and not all car seats fit in all vehicles. The National Traffic Safety Alliance provides more details on what you need to know on its website.

In addition, several police departments across the Chicago area provide car seat safety inspections and assist with installing car seats free of charge. Officers who complete the checks undergo extensive training to stay up-to-date regarding the rules on car seats and to ensure the seats are installed correctly.

The National Traffic Safety Alliance website has a tool here where you can enter your zip code to see which police agencies in your area offer inspections.

You may need to call a couple different police departments as some, including the Lake County Sheriff's Office, were unable to get re-certified in recent years due to limited trainings offered during COVID-19 and may not be able to help you at this time.

More via the National Traffic Safety Alliance website