Car veers off Edens Expy while on fire, crashes into Northbrook building: witnesses and officials

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Northbrook fire officials said one person was injured when a car on fire veered off the Edens Expressway and slammed into a building Tuesday afternoon.

Fire officials said the car was traveling eastbound when it swerved off the highway, crossed Frontage Road and crashed into a flooring showroom in the 1800-block of Skokie Boulevard.

Witnesses said the car was already on fire when it went careening off the highway, but it's unclear what caused the driver to leave the road.

The car was fully engulfed in flames until Northbrook firefighters extinguished it, officials said. Fire damaged the exterior of the building, but the damage did not extend inside, fire officials said.

The car had no license plates and the driver has not been identified. Paramedics took her by ambulance to Highland Park Hospital and while her condition is not officially known, she was conscious and appeared to have suffered just minor injuries.

There were no employees or customers in the area of the building's showroom at the time the car crashed into it.

"Very scary. If she had to hit the building, she hit it at the right place. The main thing is no one got hurt," said owner Steven Lewis.

Traffic on the Edens was backed up for several miles with drivers slowly taking in the scene from the highway.

The fact that there were no serious injuries may be due in part to what witnesses say was a Good Samaritan who pulled over on the expressway and ran over to the burning car to pull the driver out, possibly saving her life.

The incident remains under investigation.