A 17-year-old boy was killed Monday morning after he lost control of a BMW and crashed into a tree on Ela Road, just north of Long Grove Road in Deer Park. The single-vehicle collision happened around 10 a.m. and left the car with catastrophic damage. Emergency responders pronounced the driver dead at the scene, and the Lake County Coroner’s Office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy.
What the sheriff's office says
According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the crash around 10 a.m. Monday. A preliminary investigation indicates the BMW, driven by the 17-year-old, was traveling southbound on Ela Road at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control, left the roadway and struck a tree. The sheriff's office reports that no other vehicles were involved.
Scene and reporting
FOX 32 Chicago reports the teen’s name has not yet been released, and deputies pronounced him dead at the scene. The outlet noted that crews documented the heavily damaged vehicle and surrounding roadway while investigators examined the crash site.
Investigation under way
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene, and an autopsy is being scheduled, the county said. The Lake County Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigations Team is continuing to review the circumstances of the wreck. Officials have not released additional details and say more information will be made public as the investigation moves forward.
Teen-driver risks in context
Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and drivers ages 16 to 19 have a fatal crash rate substantially higher than older drivers per mile driven, the CDC notes. Inexperience and high speeds are common factors in single-vehicle teen crashes, and public-health experts point to supervised practice, consistent seat-belt use and limits on passengers as key ways to reduce that risk.
