Officials ID two victims of Saturday’s fatal Highland Park crash

The Lake County Coroner’s Office has identified two people killed in a car crash in Highland Park on Saturday, officials announced.

The victims are 73-year-old Joan Scaccia of Wilmette and 21-month-old Andre Paz of Round Lake.

The Highland Park police and fire departments responded just after 3 p.m. Saturday to a report of a vehicle crash with injuries at the intersection of Route 41 and Park Avenue West. They found multiple victims, two of whom were unconscious and not breathing, according to a news release from the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

The preliminary investigation shows a 2026 Hyundai Sonata traveling north on Skokie Valley Road struck a 2006 Toyota Sienna turning south onto Skokie Valley from Park Avenue, the release stated.

Scaccia, the driver of the Toyota, had to be extricated from her vehicle and had life-threatening injuries. Paz, who was in a car seat in the rear passenger seat of the Hyundai, also suffered life-threatening injuries.

Both were taken to Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital, where they each were later pronounced dead in the emergency room.

The crash remains under investigation by the Highland Park Police Department and the Major Crash Assistance Team.