Crashes on the I-94 expressway in the northern Chicago suburbs claimed two lives during and just after the July Fourth weekend, per Illinois State Police.
The first fatal crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday, at about 2:52 a.m., in the northbound lanes of I-94 near Tower Road near Glencoe, according to Trooper Jason Wilson, a public relations officer for the state police.
Troopers responded after getting a report of a four-vehicle personal injury crash involving a red Pontiac, black Hyundai, white Jeep, and a gray Tesla, he said, adding that at least one female passenger was taken to a local hospital with injuries.
Alejandro Hernandez, 32, of Chicago, was also taken from the scene, with injuries, to a local area hospital where he was pronounced dead, Wilson said.
Multiple lanes were closed for the crash investigation, he said, and all lanes were reopened at 9:08 a.m. The crash remains under investigation, he added.
On Monday, July 7, the southbound lanes of I-94 were shut down for about four hours after Illinois State Police responded at about 12:30 p.m. to a crash in the southbound lanes near milepost 40, which is near Dundee Road and Route 41 in Northbrook, per Trooper Caleb Billingsley, a state police public information officer.
The Lake County Coroner’s office said when emergency responders arrived, they found three vehicles, and one of them was off the roadway with heavy damage. An occupant of one of the vehicles was taken to Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified, and said the deceased has been identified as 60-year-old Martin Maldonado-Velazquez, of Waukegan. The office said it conducted an autopsy July 8 and preliminary results indicate that Mr. Maldonado-Velazquez died from blunt force injuries as a result of the crash.
At approximately 1:27 p.m., law enforcement closed the southbound lanes for the investigation and traffic was diverted to I-294, Billingsley said. All lanes were reopened at approximately 5:41 p.m.
The state police are continuing their investigation, he said Tuesday morning.