One dead after early morning crash on Route 120 in Grayslake

The 73-year-old Grayslake man found dead after a two-vehicle, head-on crash on Route 120 early Friday morning in Grayslake died just before the collision, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

James Bechtel died of natural causes before the crash, according to preliminary autopsy results released Friday.

Bechtel was driving a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer east on Route 120 near Ivanhoe Road just before 5:30 a.m. when he suffered an undetermined medical emergency and veered into oncoming traffic. His vehicle struck a tractor-trailer head-on, police said Friday morning.

Police said a passenger in the Trailblazer and the driver of the tractor-trailer were uninjured.

Route 120 was closed for nearly four hours as investigators examined the crash site.

The road reopened about 10 a.m.

The crash remains under investigation by Grayslake police and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.