Head-On Crash Closes Route 12 In North Barrington For Hours

NORTH BARRINGTON, IL — Lake County Sheriff's deputies were called to a crash with injuries at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday on Route 12 in North Barrington, where the sheriff's office said a Palatine man was critically injured when the SUV he was driving hit a freight truck head-on, causing lane closures for hours. According to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's office, early investigation shows a 2003 Mercedes-Benz SUV, driven by the 44-year-old man, was headed northbound on Route 12 in the area of Timberlake Road. The Lake County Sheriff's office Technical Crash Investigations unit is still investigating the crash, and authorities said that for an unknown reason the driver crossed the grassy median and drove into the southbound traffic lanes, hitting a 1995 freightliner truck pulling a trailer, according to the news release.

A 52-year-old Elgin man was driving the truck southbound when the crash happened, and the impact caused heavy damage to both vehicles, according to the sheriff's office. The crash also caused the Mercedes SUV to roll into a ditch on the west side of Route 12, the news release said.

Both lanes of Route 12 were closed until 3:35 p.m., when the northbound lanes were reopened, according to the news release. The southbound lanes remained closed for nearly five hours.

The driver of the SUV was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to the sheriff's office.

Patch will update this story as new information becomes available.