VIDEO: Scenes from rollover crash at Willow Road and Schoenbeck Road, and the more orderly Memorial Meet/Cruise for Paul Walker at Prospect Crossing at Rand Road and Olive Street in Prospect Heights.
Prospect Heights police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 7:30 PM Saturday to a report of a rollover crash with injuries at Willow Road and Schoenbeck Road Prospect Heights, IL. Police and firefighter/paramedics arrived and confirmed a vehicle was on its side with one person still in the vehicle.
Firefighter/paramedics extricated one person within 15 minutes, and transported the inured victim to Northwest Community Hospital.
The crash involved a Subara Impreza WRX and a 4-door Toyota RAV4 SUV less than one mile east of the Prospect Crossing Shopping Center. According to friends of the Subaru Impreza WRX driver, they had just left from an auto enthusiast meeting and tribute to the late “Fast & Furious” actor Paul Walker in the parking lot of Prospect Crossing near the H.O.M.E Bar (House of Music & Entertainment) at 1227 North Rand Road. Friends of the driver claimed the driver of the SUV went through a stop sign, and that the driver of the Subaru clipped them and flipped over. Police are investigating the cause of the crash, and there was no immediate word available on who was at fault in the crash. The Impreza seemed to have solid front-end damage, while the impact area of the Toyota RAV4 was difficult to pinpoint.
The Memorial Meet/Cruise for Paul Walker at Prospect Crossing shopping center attracted over 1,000 vehicles — many of the vehicles were custom vehicles.
Driving through the canopy at the memorial group meet for Paul Walker at Prospect Crossing Shopping Center, Prospect Heights (VIDEO CREDIT: Romek Ogrodnik).
Only 60 vehicles were anticipated, but the group grew to 150 and then over 1,000 vehicles. The vehicles filled the very large parking lot at Prospect Commons, and spilled over into the Target parking lot and the John Hersey High School parking lot. Drivers began to cruise through the front canopy of the soon-to-open Ultra Foods with a large crowd forming a lane and cheering cars as they paraded through. Police found that situation to be dangerous and closed down the canopy area. The area already had barricades, but participants must have moved them. Arlington Heights police and Mount Prospect police were called in to assist Prospect Heights police. Arlington Heights police positioned a police car at each end of the canopy, and positioned two police cars at the connecting driveway to the Target store parking lot to prevent drivers from connecting to the Target lot directly from the Prospect Crossing lot. The participants settled down as soon as police arrived. According to witnesses, the crowd was well-behaved with some revving of engines and some tire-squealing.
The group headed out toward Chicago via the inbound I-90, to lower Wacker Drive, and then headed outbound on I-290 to the Stardust Bowl of Addison. Toward the City of Chicago, police had a few reports of traffic disruptions and delays with the huge volume of cars, and a few reports of cars driving in packs while flashing their brights.
Another crash occurred near the intersection of Rand Road and Waterman about 7:00 p.m. A young driver lost control of his vehicle while turning and crashed into a shed near the Keys motel. The car rested in the shed with its rear wheels high in the air. No serious injuries were reported, and there was no known connection of that crash with the Memorial Meet/Cruise for Paul Walker at Prospect Crossing near Rand Road and Olive Street.
No known crashes or disturbances were reported at the Paul Walker memorial auto enthusiast group meeting at Prospect Crossing.
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