Des Plaines police seek DNA to determine the driver in Rand Road crash
Des Plaines police and Cook County prosecutors hope DNA can determine who was behind the wheel in a single-vehicle crash early Monday that left one occupant injured in a passenger seat and another missing for five hours after the collision.
Officer Michael Heidkamp said prosecutors plan to seek a warrant that would allow investigators to conduct DNA swabs on the Lexus involved in the wreck at Ballard and Rand roads.
"That's kind of where our big hurdle is right now," he said. "One, proving who was driving. Two, making sure that the charges we seek are appropriate."
Heidkamp said police called to Ballard and Rand roads about 2:30 a.m. Monday found the Lexus in a ditch, where it crashed after striking a utility pole, traffic signal and control box while being driven west on Ballard.
The injured woman was found alone in the car. Des Plaines firefighters extricated her and brought her to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
"Speaking with her, she believed there were two males in the vehicle with her," Heidkamp said. "So, we called for assistance from other agencies. We had canines come out. We did a search of the area looking for other occupants of the vehicle who might have been ejected or wandered off. We didn't find anybody at that time."
At about 7:30 a.m., police learned of a man wandering without a shirt or shoes near Chicago Behavioral Hospital on the 500 block of Wilson Lane, about a quarter mile west from the crash scene on the edge of Lions Woods. He was taken to Lutheran General and was expected to remain there through Monday.
"He has bruises, contusions consistent with having been involved in the crash," Heidkamp said. "He had no shoes on. We get there, he's not really talking a whole lot."
Although the man admitted "being a part of the crash," he stopped talking to authorities and requested an attorney, Heidkamp said.
Police said a third man was in the car, but investigators learned he was dropped off before the crash. Investigators believe speed contributed to the severity of the crash, according to authorities.
Police on Monday did not disclose the relationship between the car's occupants.
Rand and Ballard roads reopened to traffic in time for Monday afternoon's rush hour. A portion of the roads near the crash scene remained closed throughout the morning as police investigated.