Passenger Impaled When Car Fleeing Retail Theft Crashes

LAKE COUNTY, IL — One of the passengers in a car fleeing a retail theft in Vernon Hills was critically injured after becoming impaled by a wooden fence during a collision in Mettawa, police said.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to the three-vehicle collision at Route 60 and Saint Marys Road in Mettawa at about 3:45 p.m. on Monday.

Authorities say a 2018 Kia Optima speeding and driving recklessly while fleeing the retail theft ran a red light at the intersection of Route 60 and Saint Marys Road and hit a 2012 GMC Sierra, which was headed south on Saint Marys Road.

The GMC then collided with a 2016 Toyota 4-Runner, which was northbound on Saint Marys Road, waiting to turn left onto westbound Route 60.

The Kia went off the roadway and ran into a wooden fence, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The driver of the Kia was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center with injuries that are not considered life-threatening. A front seat passenger in the Kia was impaled by the wooden fence post, that ended the windshield during the crash, and transported to Condell with critical, life-threatening injuries, police said.

The driver of the GMC, a 34-year-old Round Lake Beach man, was taken to Lake Forest Hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening. The driver of the Toyota, a 60-year-old man from Watervliet, Michigan, and a passenger, a 23-year-old Riverwoods man, were not injured.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit. The retail theft, which happened at Ulta Beauty, remains under investigation by Vernon Hills Police Department.

This is a developing story. Check back to Patch for more details.