Head-On Crash Along Route 6: Passenger Airlifted To Loyola

JOLIET, IL — A 30-year-old Romeoville man is fighting for his life after being critically injured early Saturday morning during a head-on wreck in Joliet along Route 6 near the Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Ecolab business.

Joliet police officers rushed to the 3000 block of Route 6 around 1 a.m. after learning of a crash involving injuries.

A van driven by a 22-year-old man from South Carolina was driving east on Route 6 approaching the Hollywood Boulevard stop light when he struck a westbound sedan head-on, Joliet police said.

The sedan was driven by a 27-year-old Minooka man. The impact of the crash caused the Minooka man's sedan to roll over and veer off Route 6, police said.

The drivers of both vehicles were taken to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center. Their injuries were not life-threatening. However, the 30-year-old Romeoville man who was a passenger in the sedan needed to be extricated from the car.

He was rushed by St. Joe's hospital and later airlifted to the Loyola Medical Center in Maywood after suffering life-threatening injuries, police said.

The South Carolina driver of the van was blamed by Joliet police for causing the wreck. He was cited for improper lane usage, the department announced.

"This crash is currently under further investigation by the Joliet Police Traffic Unit," Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English advised.