Two die after car hits embankment, goes airborne for 200 feet, in northern Lake County

Two men were killed early Sunday when a car traveling at an excessive speed struck an embankment in northern Lake County, sending the vehicle airborne for about 200 feet before it crashed to the ground, authorities said.

The men, who were not identified Sunday, were pronounced dead at the scene, Lake County sheriff's police said. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded about 6:45 a.m. Sunday to the crash scene at West Russell Road and Delany Road in Newport Township, just south of the Wisconsin border.

A preliminary investigation shows the men were in a 2006 Infiniti sedan traveling north on Delaney as it approached a dead-end at Russell, authorities said. The driver failed to slow down and instead drove off the road, hit the embankment and went airborne, flying over Russell before returning to the ground, sheriff's police said.

Excessive speed appears to be a contributing factor, the sheriff's office reported. The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Unit.

The Lake County coroner's office responded and is in the process of identifying the men.