2 hurt in crash near Wauconda; parts of Gilmer, Rt. 176 closed

Two people were hurt, one critically, in an crash near Wauconda on Monday morning.

The accident happened about 11 a.m. when a semitrailer truck collided with a red 2002 Ford Explorer near the intersection of Gilmer Road and Route 176.

"Our preliminary investigation found that the semi was traveling westbound on Route 176 and the SUV was traveling southbound on Gilmer Road," said Christopher Covelli, the Lake County sheriff's public information officer. "The SUV was struck on the driver's side broadside by the semi."

The male driver of the SUV was trapped in the vehicle, and it took firefighters about 17 minutes to free him, Countryside Fire Protection District officials said. That driver was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. He remained critical Monday evening, Covelli said.

The male driver of the larger truck also was taken to Condell. He suffered lesser injuries and was expected to survive.

Firefighters from Grayslake, Mundelein and Wauconda assisted Countryside on the scene.

Roads remained closed at 5:30 p.m. while the Lake County sheriff's office and the Illinois State Police commercial vehicle inspector continue to investigate the crash, Covelli said. No tickets have been issued at this time.

"We'll continue to gather facts and evidence and at the conclusion of the investigation they'll determine whether or not charges will be filed," he said.