North Chicago man killed in Wadsworth car crash, Lake County Sheriff's Office says

WADSWORTH, Ill. (WLS) -- A suburban Chicago man was killed in a Wadsworth traffic crash early Sunday, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 16000 block of West Illinois Route 173 in Wadsworth for a single-vehicle traffic crash at about 3:00 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, Sheriff's deputies found a red 2002 Chevrolet Blazer on its side off the roadway. The vehicle's driver and sole occupant, a 45-year-old man from North Chicago, was unresponsive. Paramedics from the Newport Township Fire Protection District determined he had died.

SEE ALSO | Fatal crash: Driver dead after crashing into tree in Englewood, Chicago police say

Investigators from the Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Team responded to the scene and the preliminary investigation showed the Chevrolet Blazer was traveling eastbound on West Illinois Route 173, approaching North Mill Creek Road. For an unknown reason, the Chevrolet Blazer entered the westbound lanes of traffic and went into the embankment on the north side of the roadway. The Chevrolet Blazer struck a utility pole and trees before coming to a stop on its side.

Crash investigators and the Lake County Coroner's Office are working to determine if impairment was a factor in this crash. The identification of the deceased driver is being withheld pending notification to his family. The investigation will continue through the Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Team.