Driver killed after SUV hits pole, trees in northern Lake County

A 45-year-old North Chicago man died early Sunday morning after the SUV he was driving crashed into a utility pole and trees on Route 73 in Wadsworth.

According to the Lake County sheriff's office, deputies answering a 3 a.m. call to the 16000 block of West Route 173 arrived to find a red 2002 Chevrolet Blazer on its side off the roadway.

The vehicle's driver and sole occupant was unresponsive. He was confirmed dead by paramedics from the Newport Township Fire Protection District, officials said.

Investigators from the Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Team also arrived. Their preliminary investigation showed the Blazer was traveling east on Route 173 approaching North Mill Creek Road when, for unknown reasons, it went into the westbound lanes and struck an embankment on the north side of the roadway. The Blazer then hit a utility pole and trees before coming to a stop on its side, according to the sheriff's office.

Crash investigators and the Lake County coroner's office are working to determine if impairment was a factor in the crash, sheriff's police said.

The identification of the driver is being withheld pending notification to his family. The crash remains under investigation.