Fatal head-on crash with a fire on County Line Road west of Donlea Road, Barrington Hills YouTube Tips ⓘ
Police officers west of Barrington Hills were on the look out for a reckless driver and/or possibly impaired driver that was driving in a location west of Barrington Hills minutes before fatal a head-on crash was reported in Barrington Hills on County Line Road, according to an off-duty police officer from a nearby police agency, who was aware of a police dispatch Wednesday night. Police officers were searching for the driver of a white work truck that was reported driving at high speed in the area.
A short time later a crash occurred which caused large flames and black smoke to rise from the scene of a head-on crash on County Line Road west of both Bellwood Drive and Donlea Road.
Initially, there was no confirmation from officials that the fatal crash and the reckless driving report were connected.
Police from Barrington Hills and firefighters and paramedics from Barrington-Countryside Fire Protection District responded about 8:55 p.m. Wednesday, February 28, 2024 to a report of a head-on crash with a person possibly trapped in a vehicle with a vehicle also on fire on County Line Road west of Donlea Road in Barrington Hills.
Police, firefighters and paramedics discovered two severely damaged vehicles close to each other. A white pickup truck was discovered with a well-involved fire in the engine compartment that extended into the driver’s front seat.
The vehicle fire was extinguished quickly by Barrington-Countryside firefighters, but the driver of a white Ford pickup truck was pronounced deceased at the scene. Initially, the identity of the driver of the pickup truck was not released.
A female driver in a black or dark-colored 2022 Hyundai Palisade SUV was transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in North Barrington and was listed in serious condition.
According to police, the driver of a white 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck was traveling eastbound on County Line Road before the crash occurred. The driver of the Hyundai was traveling westbound on County Line Road when the two vehicles crashed.
A witness of the crash scene aftermath reported that family members of at least one of the crash victims arrived at the scene, and described that the scene was heartbreaking to see as the family members were visibly distraught after they discovered the severity of the crash.
County Line Road, which is also known as Lake Cook Road east of the crash scene, was closed between Donlea Road and Ridge Road for an extended period for on-scene investigation. County Line Road was also closed at Steeplechase Road West. Also, eastbound County Line Road was initially closed at Old Sutton Road with traffic diverted southbound on Old Sutton Road.
A MABAS Division 4 Box Alarm on Box #38-80 for fire investigators was activated by 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. An investigation unit from the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal was also assigned to the scene — working along side with Barrington Hills and Lake County MCAT investigators.
Barrington Hills and Lake County MCAT investigators concluded most of the on-scene portion of the investigation about 12:00 a.m., but County Line Road remained closed until about 3:00 a.m. for some additional investigation work and for clean-up of debris and firefighting foam that was used at the scene.
Hanover Township Emergency Services crews were assigned to the scene to provide scene lighting and traffic control assistance for the police. Lake Zurich police were also on the scene as part of a mutual aid police response.
Firefighters and paramedics from Barrington, Cary, Fox River Grove and Lake Zurich were also initially assigned to respond for the reported vehicle crash with fire and entrapment incident category.
County Line Road is a 2-lane rural highway with narrow shoulders, and with heavy brush, trees, and residential properties on either side of the highway. The Speed Limit is 50 MPH. There is a No-Passing Zone for eastbound traffic on County Line Road west of the intersection with Donlea Road.
There is a double yellow line east of the intersection of County Line Road and Donlea Road.
There are no traffic crossover warning Rumble Strips at the center line near the crash scene.
The information in this article is an early report published before complete summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities.
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