The crash happened on Saturday at about 11:45 p.m. near the intersection of Lewis Avenue and Leland Avenue in Beach Park.
A Zion man, 21, was driving a Toyota Avalon southbound on Lewis Avenue when it failed to slow down for traffic that was ahead.
The 21-year-old then crashed into a Dodge Journey and a Nissan Sentra. Eventually also crossing into the northbound lanes and crashing head-on with a Chevrolet Malibu.
The driver of the Chevrolet Malibu was an 18-year-old man from Waukegan. He was taken to the hospital where he died.
The driver of the Toyota had minor injuries. A 17-year-old Waukegan boy was also riding in the Toyota. The boy was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
A 29-year-old man of Zion was driving the Dodge. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Nissan Sentra was being driven by a 27-year-old woman from Waukegan. LCSO said she was unharmed.
A northbound Ford Edge avoided the crash but was damaged by debris.
The crash is under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.