Wadsworth Woman Dies After Leaving Crash Scene, Hitting Semi

GURNEE, IL — A Wadsworth woman has died after the car she was driving was involved in a hit and run just moments before running into a semi-truck Monday night in Gurnee. Gurnee police officers were called at 7:20 p.m. to Route 41 and Route 21 for a traffic crash with injuries, and found a 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor and a semi-truck with extensive damage, according to a news release from the Gurnee Police Department.

Gurnee police are still investigating the crash but said a preliminary investigation shows the Mitsubishi driven by the 70-year-old woman was involved in a hit and run accident near the intersection of Fuller Road and Stearns School Road, approximately a half-mile northwest of Route 41 and Route 21.

Police said the Mitsubishi rear-ended a 2008 Nissan carryall before continuing southbound on Route 41 toward the intersection of Route 21. The person inside the Nissan sustained minor injuries, and was taken to a nearby hospital by Gurnee Fire Department crews, according to a news release.

For an unknown reason, the Mitsubishi went into the intersection and collided with a semi-truck that was turning left onto Route 41 from northbound Route 21, the release said. The semi-truck driver, a 49-year-old man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was taken to a nearby hospital after the crash, but didn't have life-threatening injuries, police said.

The woman driving the Mitsubishi was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead Monday night, according to the news release.

Investigators with the Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) were also at the crash site and helped with the crash investigation, according to police.

An autopsy on the woman is scheduled for Tuesday with the Lake County Coroner’s office.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.