Wauconda man seriously injured when hit by SUV in Palatine

A 20-year-old Wauconda man suffered serious injuries, but is expected to survive, after being struck by an SUV Thursday morning while attempting to walk across Rand Road in Palatine, police said.

The man was crossing from the parking lot of the former Menard's store in the 1900 block of North Rand Road at 7:45 a.m. when a 2007 GMC Denali traveling southeast hit him, said Palatine police Cmdr. Michael Seebacher.

The Denali's driver, a 68-year-old Lake Geneva, Wisconsin man was not injured, Seebacher said. No one else was in the vehicle.

No tickets were issued, but the crash remains under investigation by the multijurisdictional Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team.

“It appears the pedestrian was not walking in a crosswalk at the time, or crossing at an intersection,” Seebacher said.

The Wauconda man was taken from the scene to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

“According to the latest from the hospital, he is improving, so that's a good sign,” Seebacher said.

The southbound lanes of Rand Road were closed between Hicks and Dundee roads for about two hours while police investigated.