Authorities identify man who died after being struck by car in Beach Park

Using images of fingerprints and tattoos Lake County authorities identified the man who was struck and killed by a car in Beach Park late last month while he was lying down on a road.

Brian Edwards, 30, was either asleep or unconscious on Lewis Avenue near its intersection with Hickory Drive around 4:20 a.m. Oct. 30 when a 28-year-old woman driving a Volvo struck and killed him, the Lake County coroner's office Chief Deputy Steve Newton said Tuesday. Sheriff's police said the woman did not see the man lying in the road.

Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said crash investigators are trying to determine what Edwards was doing in the road.

"It is obviously very strange and investigators are doing their best to obtain answers," Covelli said.

Newton said it took several days for the office to positively identify Edwards, who records indicate lived most recently in Zion or Chicago. They were able to identify him through fingerprint records and comparing images of his tattoos.

Newton said toxicology tests are pending to determine if alcohol or drugs were a factor in Edwards' death.