Waukegan teen walks away from spectacular Beach Park crash

A 19-year-old Waukegan woman was able to walk away from a spectacular crash early Saturday that left her vehicle upside down completely embedded inside an unoccupied Beach Park home. Alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash, the Lake County sheriff's office said in a news release.

"Alcohol and operating a vehicle don't mix," Sheriff John Idleburg said in the news release. "If you've been drinking, don't risk getting behind the wheel. Find an alternative method to get to where you're going - it's simply not worth risking your life and the life of others."

Preliminary investigation shows a 2007 Chrysler Sebring was traveling eastbound on Yorkhouse Road in the area of Geraghty Street about 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the news release.

The driver left the roadway for no apparent reason and crashed into an unoccupied home, causing extensive damage, police said. The home was deemed uninhabitable due to the damage.

The driver was able to walk away from the car and go to a nearby home to ask for assistance, police said. She was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. She was the only occupant in the vehicle.

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff's office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.