A moped driver was ejected from the vehicle and left with serious injuries after colliding with an Illinois State Police vehicle near DuPage Airport in West Chicago on Wednesday. The Illinois State Police officer was not hurt in the crash, which happened around 12:40 p.m. as the officer pulled off airport grounds onto Tower Road.
According to the Illinois State Police, the officer was on duty when exiting the airport grounds onto Tower Road and struck the moped. The impact ejected the moped driver, and officers at the scene rendered aid until paramedics arrived. The driver was then taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, ISP said.
Not every account of the crash agrees on one key detail. While ISP's statement describes the officer as on duty at the time, Patch reported that the trooper was off duty when the vehicle pulled onto Tower Road from the airport. The discrepancy has not been resolved publicly.
Internal Investigators Take Over the Case
The Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation is now handling the case, a standard step when a department employee is involved in a serious crash. ISP said the investigation remains open and ongoing, and that no further details were available at the time of its release.
Beyond the basic sequence of events, much about the crash remains unclear. The moped driver's identity, age and current condition have not been released, and neither has the officer's identity or specific assignment with the department. It is also not yet known what caused the collision or whether any citation has been issued.
As first reported by WGN-TV, the crash occurred just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday near the airport in West Chicago, with the injured moped rider left recovering in the hospital. The station's report, along with ISP's own statement, confirms the officer walked away physically unharmed while the moped driver did not.
DuPage Airport sits along Tower Road, a stretch that connects airport traffic to the surrounding roadway network in West Chicago. No additional information on road conditions, witnesses or a crash diagram has been made available. The Division of Internal Investigation has not indicated when its review might conclude.
