Wednesday, August 26, 2015

3 people killed in a fiery collision with tree in Lake County, Illinois early Wednesday morning




Three people were killed in a crash in Lake County early Wednesday morning. Susan Carlson reports. (Published Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015) 


Updated Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Three people were killed in a fiery crash in north suburban Lake County early Wednesday morning.

The Fox Lake Fire Department said the accident happened just after 1:30 a.m. on Rollins Road near Fairfield in Ingleside.


A Kia Optima traveling on Rollins Road east of West Lake Shore Drive drove off the roadway, hit a tree and burst into flames.

Police said three people were in the vehicle at the time of the crash, but details on genders and ages of the victims were not immediately known.


The Lake County Coroner was called to the scene.

The license plates on the vehicle did not belong to the Optima, which has made it harder for police to identify the victims, police said.


The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

"It's just a dangerous curve in the middle of a forest preserve with no lights or anything," said area resident Dave Sterbenz. "The only lines you see are the center line and it's not really that wide at that point, but there have been so many single car crashes there."


Detectives say it's not clear whether speed was a factor and urged drivers to use caution while driving at night.

"At night time you have to use a little more caution, but it's unknown what the reason is this accident happened," said Detective Christopher Covelli with the Lake County Sheriff's office.


Check back for details on this developing story.