Palatine man seriously injured in early morning crash

The Lake County sheriff’s department is investigating a single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning in unincorporated Wauconda.

The driver, a 28-year-old Palatine man, was seriously injured in the head-on crash, according to Lake County authorities. He was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Firefighters had to extricate the driver and sole occupant of the 2016 GMC Sierra which struck a tree in the area of Fairfield and Chardon roads about 4:40 a.m. Saturday.

The preliminary investigation shows the driver was traveling south on Fairfield Road when, for some unknown reason, he crossed the centerline. Authorities say the vehicle left the pavement on the east side of the roadway, crossed a driveway and struck a large tree head-on.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.