Gurnee officer saves woman from fiery crash

A Gurnee police officer is being credited with saving a woman who became trapped in her car after a fiery crash Thursday night.

Police said the officer was inside a stopped patrol car with emergency lights activated on the side of the road near the southbound lanes of Route 41 near Route 120 following a traffic stop when a 2017 Chevrolet Trax crashed into the back of his vehicle just before 11 p.m.

Uninjured, the officer went to check on occupants of the Chevrolet and discovered the driver was trapped in the car, which had ignited following the crash, police said.

The officer removed the 63-year-old female driver from the vehicle. Two passengers - a 61-year-old man and 12-year-old girl - were able to escape from the wreckage on their own. All three were from North Chicago, police said.

The three in the Chevrolet suffered minor injuries and were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, police said.

Police believe the driver was intoxicated, but there is no word on any charges yet.

Southbound Route 41 lanes were closed for several hours. The crash remains under investigation.