Lake County sheriff's deputy seriously injured in crash after truck runs stop sign

A Lake County sheriff's deputy was seriously injured when the driver of a pickup truck blew through a stop sign Sunday night, causing a crash with her patrol vehicle, authorities said.

The pickup truck's driver later told investigators the last thing he remembered before the crash was opening a beer, sheriff's police said.

The injured deputy was among two who had responded to a reported battery in progress at about 6:10 p.m. near Green Bay Road and Wadsworth Road in Beach Park, according to the sheriff's office. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and the deputies pursued to the area of Lewis Avenue and Yorkhouse Road in Waukegan.

The deputies were south on Lewis with their emergency lights and sirens activated when a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by a 59-year-old North Chicago man passed through a stop sign while traveling east on Edgewood Road, sheriff's police said.

The first deputy was able to swerve into the northbound lanes to avoid the pickup, but the second could not and struck the pickup's front driver's side.

The deputy was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, sheriff's police said. She remained hospitalized Monday morning.

The driver of the pickup truck was taken to Vista Medical Center in Waukegan with nonlife-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The Waukegan Police Department is investigating the crash and any subsequent charges.

"One of our sheriff's deputies was seriously injured in a crash because a thoughtless individual felt it was more important to drink a beer while driving, putting everyone on the roadway at risk, instead of driving safe," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement released Monday. "We say it time and time again, don't drink and drive. We are all wishing our deputy a speedy recovery."