Police officers from Barrington Hills and firefighters and paramedics from Barrington-Countryside Fire Protection District responded about 12:11 p.m. Wednesday, September 27, 2023, to a report of a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Algonquin Road (Rt.62) and Bateman Road in southwest Barrington Hills. Hoffman Estates firefighters and paramedics were assigned mutual aid.
Upon arrival, police, firefighters and paramedics discovered a female deceased in a red Lexus. The drivers in two other vehicles did not report any injuries to themselves when assessed by paramedics.
Firefighters also discovered leaking diesel fuel from a 40 gallon saddle tank on the semi-trailer truck. Apparently, the semi-truck’s fuel tank was punctured during the crash with the Lexus. Fire command estimated about 10 to 15 gallons of fuel spilled on the road located on Algonquin Road east of Bateman Road.
According to the Barrington Hills Police Department, preliminary investigation indicates that a red 2016 Lexus passenger vehicle, driven by a 74-year-old female, was traveling south on Bateman Road. The driver entered the intersection and struck the side of a semi-truck/trailer that was traveling east on Algonquin Road. The driver of the semi-truck, a 41-year-old male from Calumet City, was not injured, according to the Barrington Hills Police Department.
The impact with the semi-truck sent the Lexus into the westbound lane of Algonquin Road, where a head-on crash occurred with a westbound 2016 Ford F350 Pickup truck. The pickup truck was driven by a 49-year-old male from Crystal Lake, who initially reported no injuries. The driver of the Lexus was deceased at the scene, and next of kin notification was pending initially.
Traffic was diverted until 6:30 p.m. with the assistance of Hanover Township Emergency Services for the crash investigation, and mitigation (clean-up) of a fuel tank leak on the semi-trailer truck.
The crash continues under investigation by the Barrington Hills Police and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team. The crash occurred in far northwest Cook County about 4400 feet east of the border with Kane County, and about 1.65 mile south of the border with Lake County.
Difficult Intersection
The intersection of Algonquin Road and Bateman Road is a difficult intersection for motorists, especially for motorists attempting to enter Algonquin Road from Bateman Road. Algonquin Road is a two-lane rural highway with narrow shoulders and no right-turn lanes near the crash scene. There are only left turn lanes for each direction to Bateman Road.
Bateman Rd Challenges
Motorists attempting to enter Algonquin Road from Bateman Road from north or south are regulated by a flashing stop sign with a “CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP” sign. The intersection of Algonquin Road and Bateman Road is an oblique crossroad intersection, which requires a greater head turn angle for southbound Bateman Road motorists to check for approaching eastbound Algonquin Road traffic, and also requires a greater head turn angle for northbound Bateman Road motorists to check for approaching westbound Algonquin Road traffic.
Depending on the turn, the oblique intersection also can require sharper turns, which are more difficult to control in bad road conditions due to bad weather, and are more precarious in high-speed, heavy traffic situations on narrow Algonquin Road.
Waiting for opportunities to entering or cross Algonquin Road from Bateman Road is also difficult when there is high-speed, heavy cross-traffic traveling both directions on Algonquin Road. Due to short gaps between vehicles traveling at 55 MPH or higher in both directions on Algonquin Road, there is often little opportunity to enter Algonquin Road safely. For left turners or crossers from Bateman Road it is often times a matter of waiting extra long for the opportunity to enter Algonquin Road when there are breaks in traffic in both directions of Algonquin Road. Much of the traffic on Algonquin Road also includes heavy, loaded semi-trailer dump trucks hauling rocks and gravel, etc. traveling at high speed from suppliers located in counties west of Cook County heading for construction jobs in Cook County.
Algonquin Rd Challenges
Algonquin Road motorists are also presented with distractions and risks due to the roadway design. Algonquin Road curves just west of Bateman Road, and Bateman Road motorists cannot see motorists approaching from the west when they are on the other side of the Algonquin Road curve. Motorists on eastbound Algonquin Road face risks of motorists on Bateman Road suddenly pulling in front of them. Eastbound Algonquin Road traffic has a right-hand curve immediately after a Y-intersection at Helm Road, which can be a distraction for eastbound Algonquin Road motorists because traffic on Helm Road is not visible until Helm Road motorists pull up close to the intersection with Algonquin Road.
Additionally, the Bateman Road intersection is not visible yet for motorists on eastbound Algonquin Road while they are passing the Helm Road intersection. Only a flashing warning sign for Bateman Road is visible.
Speed
While officials have not disclosed that speed was a factor in Wednesday’s crash, motorists on Algonquin Road frequently exceed the 55 MPH speed limit. The Speed Limit was posted in both directions in the area of the crash, according to Google Maps Street View images captured December 2022. Pulling out onto Algonquin Road from Bateman Road is a risk, especially if motorists on eastbound Algonquin Road are exceeding the 55 MPH speed limit.
The Speed Limit on Bateman Road is 35 MPH, according to Google Maps Street View images captured December 2021.
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