‘He Cared For Everyone': Man, 22, Killed In High-Speed Crash

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

The mother of a 22-year-old man killed in a single-vehicle crash in Waukegan over the weekend said her son cared for everyone and was a “real family hero.”

An autopsy showed that Kendall McKinzie, 22, of Waukegan, died from blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.

The incident happened around 3 a.m. Saturday near Bowlero, 631 Lakehurst Road in Waukegan.

Waukegan police officers arrived and located a 2007 white BMW 7-series sedan involved in a crash near the bowling alley.

Waukegan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit was activated to investigate, according to Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Joe Florip.

Investigators believe that the BMW, occupied by four people, was traveling eastbound in the 600 block of Lakehurst Road at a high rate of speed.

McKinzie, who was driving, appeared to have lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the cement base of a light pole in the parking lot near the bowling alley.

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McKinzie was transported to an area hospital where he died, Florip said.

The other three occupants of the BMW, who are all in their 20s and from Waukegan, were transported to the hospital.

Two suffered minor to moderate injuries and the third one suffered serious injuries but is expected to survive, Florip said.

Investigators say vehicle speed was a major factor in the crash and none of the four occupants were wearing their seatbelts, Florip said.

McKinzie’s mother, Joy Turner-McKinzie, said her son was a “real family hero and was always there to the rescue.”

“Kendall had love for everyone and most importantly his brothers and his Sister which whom he loved to be around the most. Over the past months, Kendall had been working really hard on bettering his life. He was working at Abbott Laboratories for a year (his first job) and I was so proud of him as his mother,” Turner-McKinzie said.

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“His next goal was to get his first apartment, In which I was hoping he got a really nice place and location. He truly was excited about his growth in life and wanted to show how responsible he was becoming,” she added.

Turner-McKinzie said funeral arrangements are set for February 4.

“I want everyone to know he really cared for everyone. Kendall’s unexpected death is definitely a devastation to us all. As much as this hurts us all, arrangements have been set for February 4th on Friday,” she said.

Turner-McKinzie created a GoFundMe on Wednesday to help raise money for funeral expenses.

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.