Police say one driver may have been racing before fatal Beach Park crash

Police investigators believe the 32-year-old Waukegan man involved in a fatal two-vehicle crash Monday afternoon in Beach Park may have been racing another car before the collision.

The crash was between a Toyota Prius making a left turn from Howard Street onto northbound Sheridan Road and an Infiniti sedan heading south on Sheridan at that intersection.

Peter Kliora, a 78-year-old Beach Park man who was driving the Toyota, died from blunt-force injuries suffered in the crash, the Lake County coroner's office said.

Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Thursday that, based on witness statements and video surveillance as well as the damage to the vehicles, investigators believe the 32-year-old was racing another driver on Sheridan Road before the crash.

Covelli said the decision whether to charge the 32-year-old with a crime or traffic citation likely won't be made for months because investigators need to obtain and process a lot more data.

The 32-year-old was taken to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan with serious injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

Covelli said Thursday he did not have an update on the man's condition.

The sheriff's technical crash investigation team is working to determine the speed of the Infiniti at the time of the crash, Covelli said.