Teen injured after driving off I-355 near Lombard

A 17-year-old driver was seriously injured after veering off Interstate 355 near Lombard Tuesday night, officials said.

Fire officials said the Mokena teen’s vehicle was totaled after it ended up about 15 to 20 feet down the slope on the side of the tollway just south of North Avenue.

Illinois State Police said the teen was alone in the vehicle when he lost control of the sedan and drove off the roadway about a quarter-mile south of North Avenue.

Fire companies set up a rigging system to evacuate the teen up the slope on a backboard after the crash at about 7:15 p.m., said Lombard fire Batallion Chief Jeff Holst.

Officials said the man was trapped, and fire crews extricated him from the vehicle in a ditch in the southbound lanes.

The driver was taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital with serious injuries, Holst said.

Although the injuries were serious, the victim was speaking to crews on the scene.

Holst said the slope was too steep for paramedics to carry the man out on, which forced them to rig up a system to pull him up the slope.

Police continue to investigate the crash.