Des Plaines man killed after driving SUV into ice-covered pond

A 57-year-old Des Plaines man died Saturday after his sport-utility vehicle swerved off the road and plunged into an ice-covered pond in a Des Plaines industrial park, police said.

Thomas Wehlus had been pulled from the frigid water from a passerby who saw the crash unfold, authorities said, and rushed to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. He died there.

The Good Samaritan also was taken to the hospital and treated for exposure, police said, after braving the water to get Wehlus out. His Jeep Grand Cherokee had been completely submerged.

No medical updates were available Saturday evening on the Samaritan's condition.

A man who answered the phone at Wehlus' home and identified himself as his son said his dad was an amazing father and brother who had "nothing but good in his heart" and who "had love for everybody that met him."

Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini, who was at the scene Saturday, said Wehlus had been heading north on Mount Prospect Road at a high rate of speed when he swerved near the intersection of Howard Avenue, traveled across about 20 feet of snow-covered lawn and dove into a small, deep iced-over pond.

He'd apparently swerved to avoid getting into an accident while pulling out at the intersection, authorities said. The call came into police shortly before 1 p.m.

Police and fire crews from several suburban agencies were on hand to tow out the SUV, and divers searched the pond's frigid depths again to ensure no one else had been left behind. Authorities said that is a routine precaution.

The incident forced the temporarily shutdown of several roads near the industrial-area crash site Saturday.

The crash remains under investigation, police said.