Round Lake teen killed in McHenry County crash
A Round Lake teen was killed and six others were injured during an early Sunday morning accident in Lakemoor.
Leonardo Elias, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 500 block of W. Route 120, McHenry County coroner's officials said.
Elias was seated in the rear of the minivan heading west on Tia Juana Drive at a high rate of speed at 2:55 a.m., Lakemoor Police Chief Glenn Leonard said Monday. The van drove off the road and hit a tree just off Route 120, near Lakeview Drive.
The crash impact was at the area of the minivan where Elias was seated, Leonard said.
In all, seven people were inside the van when the crash occurred, but only two were in the vehicle when emergency crews arrived.
Besides Elias, Elvin Luna, 18, of McHenry was trapped inside the van. Leonard said he had to be cut out of the vehicle and was flown via Flight for Life to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was listed in critical condition.
The other five passengers left the scene but were eventually found and taken to area hospitals for treatment.
Uri Herra, 24, of McHenry returned to the crash scene 10 minutes after firefighters arrived. Herra, was taken via ambulance to Centegra Hospital-McHenry before being flown to an unknown area hospital.
About 25 minutes after the crash, three other occupants were found in a park about four blocks away on Pine Grove Drive. Jose Maldonado, 19, Sergio Mendez, 17, and Francisco Trejo, 18, all of McHenry, were taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry. Mendez was later flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
A short time later, McHenry police officers found the seventh occupant of the van walking along the road near Chapel Hill Road and Route 120, about 2 miles from the crash site. Jorge Sanchez, 22, of McHenry was taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry.
Leonard said the accident is under investigation and it is unclear who was driving the van. The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team was called in to help in the investigation, along with the Lake and McHenry county sheriff's offices.
Route 120 was closed for about four hours, Leonard said.