Round Lake Beach man dies after car goes into Libertyville pond

A 38-year-old man Round Lake Beach man has been identified as the person who died after driving a car into a Libertyville pond Monday afternoon.

Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said Abner Abdiel Melgar-Barrientos appears to have had a medical event before his car drove off the road at Route 45 and Northwind Boulevard and into a pond at 4:46 p.m.

Cooper said preliminary cause of death is drowning but toxicology tests are pending.

Libertyville police and fire were called to the intersection after multiple witnesses reported the black, 4-door sedan had gone into the large pond and the male driver was still inside the vehicle.

Libertyville rescuers pulled out the driver and administered medical care, authorities said. He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was later pronounced dead.

Northwind Boulevard was closed between Peterson and Winchester roads while rescuers attended to the crash, authorities said.

The direction of travel and specific details of the crash remain under investigation by Libertyville Police, the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team and the Lake County coroner's office, authorities said.