Officials said Wednesday afternoon they have confirmed the identity of a man who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident Tuesday evening in Wadsworth, and his name will be released on Thursday.
Efforts were still underway Wednesday afternoon to identify and locate the driver involved in the crash, according to Sgt. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Covelli said the victim is a 54-year-old man who was a resident of the unincorporated Lake Bluff area.
Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said he will release the name of the man Thursday to allow the proper notification period for the victim’s family. Cooper said an autopsy was performed Wednesday, and the preliminary results are that the man died from multiple traumatic injuries.
Police are seeking public assistance in locating the driver of the vehicle that struck the man.
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According to Sheriff’s Office reports, the man was believed to have been walking southbound on Route 41 near Hanssen Road when he was struck and killed.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday about a body on the side of the road, and the victim was located and pronounced dead at the scene, Covelli said.
Covelli said a preliminary investigation shows the man was likely walking on the shoulder of southbound Route 41 when he was struck by a southbound vehicle. Based on evidence recovered at the scene, traffic crash investigators believe the vehicle that struck the man was a silver Ford F-150 pickup from the 2004 to 2008 model years.
The vehicle likely has damage to the front bumper and front passenger-side headlight assembly, according to sheriff’s reports.
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 847-549-5200 or Lake County CrimeStoppers at 847-662-2222.
The sheriff’s office is also asking all area body/repair shops to report any suspicious damage or damage consistent with this incident.
The crash is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.
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