Whiskey Found In Lap Of Driver Who Stole Car, Caused Fatal Crash: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A man who was driving in a stolen car, with a bottle of whiskey in his lap, died after causing a head-on collision early Wednesday, according to police.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene of the collision on Route 134 near North Catherine Street at about 5 a.m. when a Honda sedan, which was headed west on Route 134, traveled into the eastbound lanes of traffic and hit an eastbound GMC work truck head on, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said it appeared the driver had an open bottle of whiskey in his lap at the time of the collision, and the Honda he was driving was reported stolen from a gym in Fox Lake on Tuesday.

The driver of the GMC, a 44-year-old Johnsburg man, was transported to an area hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening and is cooperating with the investigation.

The identity of the driver who died is not yet known, Lake County Sheriff's Office deputy chief Christopher Covelli told Patch. An autopsy is being scheduled for the driver.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.