PISTAKEE HIGHLANDS – A 41-year-old McHenry motorcyclist died Saturday following a head-on collision with a passenger car.
Emergency units from the McHenry Township Fire Protection District and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene at the 5700 block of Fox Lake Road in Pistakee Highlands about 2:40 p.m.
Edward A. Wald, who was riding a 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, was found lying about 12 feet from the point of impact with the 2012 Audi passenger car, said Sgt. Eric Ellis, of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
Some witnesses and passersby initiated medical care such as CPR on Wald while waiting for rescue units to arrive at the scene.
Wald was taken to Centegra Hospital – McHenry, where he was pronounced dead.
The collision took place on a curved section of the road and appeared to be head on, according to rescue crews and investigators. Both vehicles were extensively damaged, they said.
The driver of the Audi, Marshall S. Handelsman, was treated by paramedics and released at the scene. Handelsman, of McHenry, was the only person in the car.
According to the initial investigation, Wald was northbound on Fox Lake Road while Handelsman was southbound, Ellis said. Wald’s motorcycle later crossed into the southbound lanes and the oncoming traffic.
“It’s too early to tell [why],” Ellis said.
At 4:07 p.m., the sheriff’s office issued a Nixle notification asking motorists to avoid Fox Lake Road between Route 12 and Ringwood Road.
The road was closed for three hours as rescue crews worked at the scene. The McHenry County Sheriff’s accident unit is continuing the investigation. Officials say charges are not likely for Handelsman.