Wilmington Fatality, Motorist, 63, Crashes Into Tree: Coroner

WILMINGTON — Will County Coroner Laurie H. Summers announced that a 63-year-old man from Wilmington, John M. Wandless, lost his life as the result of a late night wreck.

The wreck happened near Wilmington along South Indian Trail Road and Goodwin Road.

Authorities pronounced him dead at 1:25 a.m. on Monday, the coroner indicated. An autopsy was completed and the final cause and manner of death is pending the outcome of police, autopsy, and toxicological reports, the coroner noted.

Will County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said her agency responded to the crash after being notified by other motorists. It happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

Hoffmeyer said the Wilmington man was driving a Ford F150 pickup truck and crashed head-on into a tree. Sheriff's deputies found the Wilmington man unconscious and unresponsive as they removed him from the truck. Wilmington Fire Department paramedics rushed him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Hoffmeyer said the Will County Sheriff's deputies determined that Wandless was driving his truck east on Goodwin Road when he drifted into the grassy shoulder and went off the roadway and collided with the tree.