Icy roadway leads to head-on crash

A man had to be extricated from his vehicle and Route 72 west of Gilberts was closed for nearly three hours after a Wednesday morning two-vehicle crash, police said.

Emergency personnel said it appeared snow had blown on the road from a field and at some point, turned into ice at a bend in the road about a quarter of a mile east of Big Timber Road.

Emergency personnel said a van crashed head-on into a small pickup truck; the driver of the pickup was extricated and flown by helicopter to Rockford Memorial Hospital.

Lt. Pat Gengler of the Kane County Sheriff's Department said one vehicle was driven by Joseph Avena, 53, address unknown, and the man who was airlifted was Walter Prinner, 59, possibly of Hampshire.

Avena did not appear to be injured, police said.

It was unknown Wednesday afternoon if any citations had been issued in the crash.