Crash leaves Lake in the Hills man critically injured

A Lake in the Hills man was in critical condition following a near head-on collision Saturday afternoon in South Barrington, authorities said.

Jeff Rubio, 42, was trapped in his car for a half-hour before emergency personnel could extricate him from the vehicle. Because of the weather, he was unable to be airlifted and was driven to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment.

South Barrington police Sgt. Jim Kaplan said the crash occurred at 1:50 p.m. at the intersection of Algonquin and Palatine roads.

Police said Rubio was driving a 2010 Mazda westbound on Algonquin when an eastbound 2012 Jeep driven by Brianna Graffia, 16, of Inverness, attempted to turn onto eastbound Palatine Road and the vehicles collided.

Kaplan said authorities are still determining the cause, and there are still questions about the condition of the light at the time and who had the right of way.

“I would call this collision about as close to a head-on as you can get,” he added.

Graffia and her passenger were both treated and released on the scene, police said.

Rescue personnel from multiple departments responded to the crash. Barrington fire units were assisted by crews from Palatine Rural and Hoffman Estates fire departments, while Barrington Hills and Hoffman Estates police assisted South Barrington police.

The intersection of Palatine and Algonquin roads was closed for about an hour after the crash, police said.

Since the investigation is ongoing, tickets have yet to be issued, according to police.