89-year-old Gurnee man killed in car crash identified

A man who died from injuries he suffered in a Warren Township crash Saturday has been identified as Leonard Blum, 89, of Gurnee, officials said.

Blum was a passenger in a Toyota RAV4 driven by an 88-year-old woman, who was attempting to turn right onto Stearns School Road from Route 41 about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

The RAV4 and a Kia Forte driven by a 20-year-old Richmond woman, who was attempting to turn left onto Stearns School from Route 41, turned into one another causing minor damage, authorities said.

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the RAV4 driver likely pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing it to accelerate to a high speed; she lost control and struck a utility pole on Stearns School Road near Fuller Road, the first road west of the intersection where the initial crash occurred.

The RAV4 driver and passenger both were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Kia Forte driver was not hurt.

Later Saturday night, the Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified an 89-year-old man, identified as Blum, was pronounced dead in the intensive care unit.

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