Construction Worker Hit By Work Truck, Seriously Injured On Route 120 Near Gurnee

By Sam Borcia, Lake & McHenry County Scanner

Authorities say a construction worker was seriously injured after a work truck backed over him in a construction zone on Route 120 near Gurnee Tuesday morning.

The Gurnee Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7:58 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Route 120 east of Route 21 in unincorporated Gurnee for a vehicle crash with injuries.

A 911 caller reported a person had been struck by a vehicle and was possibly trapped underneath it.

Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Heraver said the incident happened in the eastbound lanes of Route 120 in the construction zone.

The eastbound lanes are shut down for the road construction project.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said a 36-year-old Lisle man, who is a construction worker, was operating a pickup truck with lasers to measure the smoothness of the bridge.

He was making passes back and forth on the bridge while a passenger in the pickup was viewing the data on a laptop.

Covelli said the driver of the truck was reversing during his third pass when the truck struck another construction worker, a 29-year-old man from Egypt who is in the country on a work visa.

The victim was knocked to the ground as the truck backed into him, Heraver said.

The truck continued driving in reverse after the man was knocked to the ground before ultimately stopping.

Covelli said it appeared one of the tires of the truck ran the man over.

Heraver said the worker was not trapped underneath the vehicle.

Paramedics found him still underneath the truck and slid him out on a backboard without needing to lift the vehicle, Heraver said.

The pickup truck was reversing at approximately 10 mph at the time of the crash. The victim sustained leg and back injuries, Covelli said.

Covelli said the worker suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

It is not likely citations will be issued due to the circumstances. OSHA was notified by the IDOT contractor.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.