A multi-vehicle crash involving a Spring Grove Police Department SUV injured eight people and shut down the intersection of Route 12 and Spring Grove Road, one of McHenry County's busiest arterial crossings. At least three vehicles were involved, according to scene footage, and the wreck left a Kia SUV with heavy front-end damage while the police vehicle sustained damage to its passenger side and front bumper.
The McHenry County Sheriff's Office announced the closure at the intersection at approximately 3 p.m. Sunday, following the crash, according to Shaw Local. The Spring Grove Fire Protection District said it was called to a police-involved accident with multiple injuries at the intersection, according to NBC Chicago. Four of the injured were taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, while one person was airlifted to Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford, per the same report. Information on the victims' current conditions was not available.
Dispatchers Describe a Chaotic Scene
Emergency dispatches captured the intensity of the response as it unfolded. The involved Spring Grove police officer radioed urgently for assistance while multiple 911 callers reported an unconscious victim at the scene, according to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner. Scene commanders requested a second medical helicopter to help with patient transport given the number of injured, the scanner page reported, underscoring the scale of triage facing first responders.
The split in transport destinations reflects the severity of the injuries involved. Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, which received four of the crash victims, is a state-designated Level II Trauma Center with an on-site Flight for Life helicopter launch pad, according to Northwestern Medicine. Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside in Rockford, where the most critical patient was flown, is a Level I Trauma Center and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center that serves as a regional tertiary referral facility for northern Illinois, per Mercyhealth.
Independent Crash Team Expected to Investigate
Because the collision involved a municipal police vehicle, it falls under a formal review process rather than an internal department inquiry. Major and fatal crashes involving McHenry County police departments, including Spring Grove's, are subject to independent reconstruction by the McHenry County Regional Major Crash Assistance Team under an intergovernmental agreement among member municipalities, according to the City of Woodstock.
A Corridor With a History of Serious Crashes
Sunday's wreck adds to a string of serious incidents along the Route 12 corridor near Spring Grove. In July, an 18-year-old Spring Grove resident died in a crash on Route 12 in nearby Richmond involving a vehicle towing a camper trailer, a case Hoodline previously covered. That same month, a high-speed police pursuit reached 110 mph along Route 12 through Spring Grove before ending in a crash across the state line in Wisconsin, Shaw Local reported.
Emergency vehicles themselves have not been immune to the corridor's dangers. A Spring Grove Fire Protection District ambulance was involved in a crash on Route 12 west of Wilmot Road in February 2024, injuring two firefighters and temporarily sidelining the vehicle, per Shaw Local's earlier reporting. In May 2025, McHenry County officials considered reducing the speed limit on Spring Grove Road between Sunset and Ringwood roads from 55 mph to 50 mph, part of a broader county effort to review corridor speed limits.
