Gurnee employee killed in motorcycle accident

A Gurnee village employee was killed in a motorcycle accident after he was bike driving left the roadway and crashed on Tri-State Parkway, police confirmed Monday.

Todd Jefson, 56, of Gurnee, a 16-year maintenance worker for the village’s public works department, was found dead at the scene of the crash at 7:29 p.m. Sunday, Gurnee Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick said.

Officers found Jefson lying in the grass on the east side of Tri-State Parkway after the 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was driving crossed the centerline and hit a curb, north of Washington Street, Patrick said.

Jefson was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, officials said.

Patrick said witnesses saw the motorcycle a distance behind them when they heard a loud noise and saw the victim thrown from the motorcycle.

Officers found Jefson in a grassy area, while his motorcycle was submerged in water in a nearby drainage culvert, Patrick said.

Officials from the Lake County Coroner’s office pronounced Jefson dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

Gurnee Assistant Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said Jefson was a lifelong Gurnee resident and one of 10 people who worked in the maintenance and utility division of the public works department.

He said the employees in that department are a tightknit group of friends.

“He was a really good guy with a great work ethic,” Muetz said. “It’s one of those circumstances that hits pretty close to home.”

He said he was unsure what the village would do to honor the memory of Jefson as details are still being worked out.

Anyone with information related to this accident is asked to contact the Gurnee Police Department at (847) 599-7000.