Fatal: suspected wrong-way crash on US-12 (Rand Road) north of Euclid Avenue in Arlington Heights on Monday night, September 2, 2024 around 10:04 p.m. (CARDINAL NEWS) YouTube Tips ⓘ
The Arlington Heights Police Department confirmed Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at about noon that the police department is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred just north of the intersection of Rand Road and Euclid Avenue.
According to the Arlington Heights Police Department, on Monday, September 2, 2024 at around 10:00 p.m., Mount Prospect Police Department and Fire Department personnel responded to a traffic crash reported at Rand Road northwest of Euclid Avenue, a common border between Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights.
Prospect Heights Police also responded, and Arlington Heights police officers responded to assist at the common border area.
Police officers quickly determined that the impact in the wrong-way crash occurred on a section of roadway within Arlington Heights’ jurisdiction.
Preliminary information indicates that the driver of a purple 2016 Dodge Challenger was traveling northwest bound on Rand Road, passing Euclid Avenue, when it traveled into the oncoming left turn lane of US-12 EAST (southeastbound Rand Road) and subsequently struck a white 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV head-on.
The Dodge Challenger, according to fire radio reports, ignited with fire and smoke that surrounded the deceased driver. The fire and smoke was thick enough that Good Samaritans and bystanders could not determine if the occupants were still in the Dodge Challenger. The Arlington Heights Police Department news release did not mention that there was a fire involving the Dodge Challenger.
The occurrence of an immediate fire after collision, and the visible damage to both vehicles, indicates that the crash likely involved high-speed impact. Also, the impact location of the two vehicles was likely at least 100 feet from the area where the vehicles came to rest, indicating the momentum of the Dodge Challenger extended the crash scene along with debris in the direction that the Dodge Challenger was traveling (northwest bound), and pushed or deflected the Hyundai Santa Fe from a southeast bound direction to a northwest bound reverse direction of at least 100 feet.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiners Office, the victim killed at the crash scene was identified as Samuel Horcher, age 21, of Des Plaines. Police, firefighters, and paramedics found that the driver of the Dodge Challenger (Samuel Horcher), suffered fatal injuries as the result of the collision.
The driver of the Hyundai Santa Fe, an 18-year-old man from Arlington Heights, suffered serious injuries, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department. He was entrapped and extricated by Mount Prospect Fire Department firefighters and paramedics.
Paramedics transported the Arlington Heights male to Level I Trauma Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for treatment.
Rand Road (US-12) was temporarily closed for about six hours between Euclid Avenue and Schoenbeck Road while this incident was investigated.
The Arlington Heights Police Department is being assisted in this investigation by the Major Case Assistance Team – Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) specialized investigative unit.
Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights Police personnel assisted with traffic control.
According to the Arlington Heights Police Department, the root cause of the collision is still under investigation — including speed and the possibility of alcohol or drug impairment of the deceased.
The Arlington Heights Police Department stated that the police department will pursue legal process to access and obtain electronic data stored within the Dodge Challenger in an effort to determine factors relevant to this investigation.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an investigation to determine a Cause and Manner of death, to include toxicology testing. A final report usually takes 6-8 weeks to complete, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department.
INITIAL REPORT FROM CARDINAL NEWS …
The second fatal crash in six days occurred Monday night (Labor Day), September 2, 2024 at or near the intersection of US-12 (Rand Road) and Euclid Avenue near the border of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect.
Police officers from Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect; and firefighters and paramedics from Mount Prospect responded about 10:04 p.m. Monday, September 2, 2024 to a report of a crash with injuries and a vehicle fire at Rand Road and Euclid Avenue in Arlington Heights. Police, firefighters and paramedics responding were told that one person may have still been inside a burning car. That driver — a 21 year-old male resident of Des Plaines — died in his Dodge Challenger.
Police, firefighters, and paramedics discovered a blue or purple Dodge Challenger on fire with severe damage. A male driver was found dead inside the vehicle as the vehicle fire was extinguished and smoke cleared from the vehicle. Further north, firefighters and paramedics discovered a white SUV on the eastbound side of US-12 off the road with severe front-end damage. One vehicle occupant was trapped on the driver’s side. The white SUV was not on fire. During extrication of the person in the SUV, a paramedic started an apparent intravenous line, as a firefighter/paramedic was seen holding what appeared to be a 1000 ml IV solution bag.
A person at the scene told CARDINAL NEWS that a motorcyclist witness saw a passenger rescued by a citizen from the white SUV before rescuers arrived. However, CARDINAL NEWS only saw one crash victim — the one patient being extricated from the driver’s side of the white SUV, including the use of a cutter/spreader tool. Once extrication was complete, Mount Prospect Fire Department Ambulance 13’s crew transported their patient from the white SUV to Level 1 Trauma Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
The motorcyclist witness also told someone at the scene that the driver of the Dodge Challenger was westbound on US-12 and was attempting to be involved in some type of interaction with the motorcyclist and another motorcyclist, and a driver of a Volkswagen Golf GTI. The motorcyclist witness told the person at the scene that the driver of the Dodge Challenger sped off to pass the GTI and the two motorcycles, and drove into the oncoming lanes of US-12 EAST. That’s when a head-on collision and fire occurred, involving the blue/purple Dodge Challenger and the white SUV. The area of impact was a significant distance southeast of the location where the two wrecked vehicles came to rest. The engine compartment hood of the Dodge Challenger was located in the westbound lanes of US-12 near the northeast corner with Euclid Avenue, and about 140 feet from the white SUV, located on the eastbound parkway to the northwest. Also, the Dodge Challenger hood was located a distance of about 110 feet from the resting spot of the Dodge Challenger, according to Google satellite measurement estimates.
The younger motorcyclist was about to speak with CARDINAL NEWS about what he saw, but the older motorcyclist ordered him way, and said “let’s go”, and they sped off. The younger motorcyclist just got their motorcycle a few days ago, according to the person who spoke with the motorcyclist.
At least two witness reported hearing engines revving up or something that sounded like “drag racing” or street racing in the area, immediately before the crash.
The crash was initially thought to be a Mount Prospect incident similar to the fatal Mount Prospect crash last Tuesday, August 27, 2024. However, the crash was in the eastbound lanes of US-12 north of Euclid Avenue, which placed the crash in the jurisdiction of Arlington Heights.
The Major Case Assistance Team Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (MCAT-STAR) unit was assigned to assist the Arlington Heights Police Department with the investigation.
The Speed Limit on US-12 is 45 MPH northwest of the intersection with Euclid Avenue. The Speed Limit on US-12 is 40 MPH southeast of the intersection with Euclid Avenue.
The Speed Limit on Euclid Avenue is 40 MPH east of the intersection with US-12, and the Speed Limit is 35 MPH west of the intersection with US-12.
US-12 has a painted median about 12 feet wide, and the white paint marking indicating the start of the left turn lane begins about 160 feet before the intersection with Euclid Avenue.
Approximate Impact Location
Initially, it is unknown whether the alleged wrong-way driver was in one of the two eastbound lanes of US-12 or the eastbound left turn lane from US-12 to eastbound Euclid Avenue when the crash occurred.
The information in this article is an early report published before any summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities.
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