Rolling Meadows man dies in fiery crash on Route 53 near Schaumburg

pbiasco@dailyherald.com

Authorities have identified the victim of a fiery crash on Route 53/I-290 this morning as a 28-year-old Rolling Meadows man.

Police said Jose. J. Diaz-Rendon was the lone occupant of a two-door sedan when he struck a median separating the northbound I-290 express lanes from the local lanes near Higgins Road at about 5:48 a.m.

Diaz-Rendon was driving on a revoked license because of a DUI conviction, officials said.

An early investigation indicated the vehicle drove straight between the express and local lanes and struck the median head-on, according to Illinois State Police Trooper Douglas Yorke. The red two-door Acura burst into flames upon impact, and Diaz-Rendon's body was still inside when state police and Schaumburg fire crews arrived at the scene, Yorke said.

State police and Cook County Medical Examiner's investigators struggled to positively identify the victim for most of the day due to the severity of his burns, but found an identification card inside the vehicle.

Police said there were no indications that the crash was a suicide.

A police source said Diaz-Rendon's license was suspended twice before as a result of driving under the influence charges.

State police shut down the two northbound local lanes and two northbound express lanes while accident reconstruction teams and the Cook County medical examiner's office investigated the crash.