Beach Park, IL – A high-speed drag race turned deadly Sunday, claiming the life of a 60-year-old man from Waukegan.
According to Lake County Sheriff’s Police it happened around 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Yorkhouse Road, leaving a community in mourning. Deputies responded swiftly to the scene, discovering two badly damaged vehicles, a Ford Mustang and a Honda SUV.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the Ford Mustang, driven by the Illinois man, was engaged in a high-speed drag race with a Mazda 3 sedan, driven by a 26-year-old man from Zion, as they raced southbound on Sheridan Road.
The tragedy occurred when a 59-year-old woman from Waukegan, driving the Honda SUV, attempted a left turn from northbound Sheridan Road onto Yorkhouse Road. The Ford Mustang collided with the Honda, resulting in devastating consequences.
Despite heroic efforts by Sheriff’s deputies to save the critically injured driver of the Mustang, he was rushed to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The driver of the Honda sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
While not directly involved in the collision, the Mazda 3 sedan’s participation in the drag race is being considered a contributing factor to this tragic loss of life.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit is leading the ongoing investigation into the incident.
