North Chicago man critically injured in crash
A 35-year-old North Chicago man was injured critically and likely paralyzed early Saturday after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a utility pole in an unincorporated area near Waukegan, police said.
Lake County sheriff's deputies arrived at the 12700 block of West Crescent Avenue about 2:30 a.m. to find the driver of a Chevrolet Trailblazer about 30 feet from the vehicle, authorities said.
Sheriff's police said a preliminary investigation showed the man, who was not identified pending potential charges, was driving at a high speed east on West Crescent Avenue.
As he approached Adelphi Avenue, the driver, for an unknown reason, crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and drove into a ditch on the north side of the road.
The Trailblazer struck a utility pole and came to rest on its side.
The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle, according to Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli.
Covelli said the man was alone in the Trailblazer and alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash.
The driver was taken to a hospital in critical condition and preliminary indications are he will be paralyzed from the waist down, he added.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit is investigating.