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Boy killed in crash near Lake Zurich, twin brother critically injured

A 10-year-old boy was killed and his twin brother was critically injured in a four-vehicle crash on Route 12 in Wauconda early Monday evening, according to authorities.

Griffin Shirey of Island Lake was traveling in a vehicle with his father and twin brother when a large pickup truck blew a red light at the intersection of Route 12 and Old McHenry Road, police said.

The boy's father was making a left turn from southbound Route 12 onto Old McHenry Road when the northbound pickup plowed into the rear passenger's-side door where Griffin Shirey was sitting, police said.

The violent impact of the collision tossed the truck into two other vehicles waiting at the traffic light at about 5:41 p.m., according to fire officials.

Charges are possible against the driver of the pickup, and could include reckless homicide charges, said Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Timothy Jonites.

“He made some statements as to possibly using narcotics in the past, which lead us to believe he could be under the influence of narcotics,” Jonites said.

Emergency crews rushed Griffin Shirey, his twin brother and their father to Good Shepherd Hospital, but the boy could not be saved, police said.

Shirey's twin brother was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in critical condition with internal injuries Monday night, Jonites said. The boys' father suffered minor injuries and was expected to be released Monday night.

Their condition hasn't changed as of Monday morning, authorities said. The twin remained in critical condition and the father ramained in stable condition at 4:30 a.m., authorities said.

The driver of the pickup and two passengers in the vehicle, which was filled with roofing shingles, were injured in the crash but released from a hospital Monday night, officials said.

The roadway remained shut down while the sheriff's department investigated until about 10:30 p.m.

The high number of injuries in the crash required Wauconda firefighters to sound an alarm requesting emergency aid from a number of neighboring departments.

Emergency crews from Lake Zurich, Barrington, Fox River Grove, Mundelein and Road Lake responded to the scene.

“Apparently this was incredibly chaotic,” said Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Christopher Thompson.

Two more victims in other vehicles struck by the rolled-over pickup were treated and released at the scene, said Wauconda Fire Batallion Chief Kevin Pyne.

Emergency crews did not need to extricate anyone from the vehicles, but the damage was extensive, Pyne said.

The intersection where the crash occurred is the same intersection where Lora Hunt plowed into a Lake Zurich motorcyclist while she was polishing her nails in May 2009.

Hunt was sentenced to 18 months behind bars while not working or traveling to her job after crashing into the motorcyclist who had stopped at a red light on Route 12 at Old McHenry Road.

In 1999 a chain-reaction crash at the same intersection involving a semitrailer truck killed a McHenry-area woman and injured 16 others. Prosecutors said the driver of the semi may not have noticed the vehicles stopped ahead of him at the intersection's traffic light before he slammed into the vehicles without hitting the brake.

Crash: Intersection also site of fatal nail polish, 1999 collisions

  Police investigation markings at the intersection of Route 12 and Old McHenry Road near Lake Zurich where a 10-year-old child was killed Monday evening. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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