Schaumburg resident Peter Sabella was killed on Route 53 just south of Higgins Road when his GMC Envoy crashed into the back of a semi-trailer truck that was stopped in congested traffic just before 3:14 p.m. Tuesday.
Schaumburg firefighter/paramedics received their second Route 53 crash call in less than an hour on northbound Route 53 about 3:14 p.m. Tuesday. Illinois State Police and Schaumburg firefighter/paramedics received a report of ‘pickup truck’ under a semi-trailer truck in the northbound lanes, just south of Higgins Road. Elk Grove Village firefighter/paramedics also responded to the call. The driver of the vehicle was reported trapped under the semi-trailer.
First Schaumburg firefighter/paramedics and Illinois State Police responded about 2:33 p.m. Tuesday to a four-car crash on Route 53 near Woodfield Road in the northbound local lanes on the right shoulder. Firefighters reported the crash was over Golf Road. Paramedics transported at least one victim to Northwest Community Hospital. Firefighters were picking up and going home from the first crash when the second crash occurred. Schaumburg firefighters were dispatched with Elk Grove Village firefighters to the scene of the second crash.
Firefighters from Schaumburg leaving the first crash were heading southbound during response to the second crash when they reported passing the second crash and described it as a major crash requiring heavy extrication.
Elk Grove fire command arrived first on the scene and reported that Illinois State police were already on the scene, and reported they were on a heavy extrication operation.
A Schaumburg resident, later identified as Peter Sabella, was trapped in a white GMC Envoy after crashing into the rear end of the semi-trailer truck. The semi-trailer truck was possibly stopped for traffic congestion from the first crash, when Sabella attempted to avoid the crash by heading toward the Route 53 exit to Higgins Road. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. No word on any injuries to the man driving the semi-trailer truck.
The northbound lanes of Route 53 were closed for an extended period through the evening rush hour during accident investigation. The last fire vehicles cleared the scene at about 7:15 p.m.
The crash is the second fatal crash in less than two weeks in a stretch of northbound Route 53 from Higgins Road to Algonquin Road.
Stay informed with news from The Cardinal’s Emergencies Behind the Scenes Facebook page — Facebook.com/CardinalEmergencies. Includes links to favorite public safety and emergency rescuers and product manufacturers and safety companies that have facebook pages. Submit your pictures or just stay up-to-date on with fire, rescue, EMS and police photo galleries. Please add your public safety photo to the wall album — go direct to the Arlington Cardinal Emergencies Behind the Scenes photos. For a list of all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages, go to Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
