38-year-old Wauconda man who drowned after car crashed into pond ID'd

Thursday, July 11, 2024
WAUCONDA, Ill. (WLS) -- The man who died Wednesday after driving into a pond in the far north suburbs has been identified.

Joshua Klausing, 38, of Wauconda died in the incident, the Lake County Coroner's Office said Thursday.



An autopsy was performed Thursday, and the coroner's office said Klausing drowned, as a result of the crash.

Wauconda police and fire crews responded just before 10:25 a.m. Wednesday to the pond, near Garland Road and Main Street in Wauconda, for a report of a vehicle upside-down in the water.

Wauconda fire crews got the man out of the black 2010 Ford Edge within 10 minutes, but he was pronounced dead on the scene, police said.



Witnesses said they saw the car traveling north on Main Street before hitting the curb at Garland, and landing upside-down in the pond.

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Some raced to the scene to try to help the man.

Shirley Wojcicki and her husband, Ross Gemmill, were going for a walk in their Wauconda neighborhood, when a loud noise made them stop.



Gemmill ran into the shallow water to try to help. He said he could see the driver, who was unresponsive.

Gemmill was soon joined by other witnesses, who tried unsuccessfully to break the car's windows.

The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team and Wauconda police are investigating the incident.

The video in the player above is from an earlier report.
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