2 Killed In Wrong-Way Highway Car Crash Near Gurnee: Police

UNINCORPORATED GURNEE — [UPDATE: 8:15 A.M.] Two people were killed in a wrong-way car crash Monday morning on Route 41 north of Stearns School Road, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The deceased are a 32-year-old Grayslake man and a 54-year-old North Chicago man.

Police said that at around 4:05 a.m., the driver of a Nissan was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of traffic at a high rate of speed on Route 41 north of Stearns School Road. The Nissan, driven by the Grayslake resident, struck a Ford Edge head-on. Following the impact, police said the Nissan caught on fire.

The driver of the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries, but was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. Autopsies are being scheduled by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigation Team.

Expect driving delays Monday morning on the northbound lane of a portion of Route 41 in unincorporated Gurnee due to what the Lake County Sheriff's Office is calling a "major traffic crash."

Police said Route 41, north of Stearns School Road, will be closed for the next several hours. The closed stretch is from Stearns School Road to Hanssen Road. Police are asking drivers to find an alternate route.