Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy and Suspected DUI Driver Injured in Traffic Crash
On January 10, 2016, at approximately 3:00AM, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy was on the scene of a ‘car in the ditch’ on southbound Route 12, in the area of Russell Drive, Volo. The sheriff’s deputy was in a marked Lake County Sheriff’s Office Squad and had the emergency lights activated. The sheriff’s deputy was blocking the inside lane of traffic, so a tow truck operator could remove the car stuck that was stuck in the ditch. The sheriff’s deputy on the scene was injured when his squad was struck by another vehicle.
Preliminary investigation shows a 2000 Toyota Solara, driven by Gaitano W. Lombardo, 20, of the 500 block of Old County Way, Wauconda, was traveling southbound on Route 12 approaching Russell Drive. As Lombardo continued southbound, he struck the marked squad car. The sheriff’s deputy was inside the squad car when it was hit by the Toyota. The squad car was pushed approximately 30 feet from the point of impact. From photos provided by Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the squad car received front-end and rear-end damage, and may have been pushed into the tow truck.
Both the sheriff’s deputy and Lombardo sustained injuries in the crash. Both were transported to Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington, and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Lombardo was subsequently charged with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (Class A Misdemeanor), Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Class A Misdemeanor), Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash, and No Insurance. Lombardo is currently being held in the Lake County Jail and appeared in courtroom C-120 later Sunday morning for a bond hearing.
* Media Release *Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Injured in Traffic CrashOn January 10, 2016, at approximately 3:00AM,…
Posted by Lake County IL Sheriff's Office on Sunday, January 10, 2016
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 …