Alcohol A Factor In Cary Crash Where SUV Hit Tree: Sheriff

CARY, IL — The Lake County Sheriff's Office said alcohol appears to have been a factor in a Thursday night crash in the area of West Fox River Road and West Short Street involving a McHenry man. According to the sheriff's office, deputies were called at 10:50 p.m. to the area for a traffic crash with injuries, and upon arrival found a 2013 Toyota Highlander had hit a tree. The SUV was significantly damaged and the driver, a 57-year-old man, was trapped inside it, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

According to preliminary investigation, the man was driving eastbound on Fox River Road when his SUV left the road and hit a tree. It took crews over an hour to extricate the man from the vehicle due to the serious damage, the sheriff's office said. The Cary Fire Protection district explained in a release that paramedics started treating the driver in the car while waiting for the arrival of several hydraulic tools, including the Hurst Tool, also known as the "jaws of life."

The man was flown by Flight for Life helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyille, and as of Friday morning remains in the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.