RINGWOOD – A 57-year-old man was identified as the victim of Thursday’s two-vehicle fatal crash in Ringwood by the McHenry County coroner.
Charles W. Schultz Jr. of Richmond was driving southbound on Route 31 when his vehicle collided with a pickup truck near Ringwood Road, Coroner Anne Majewski said in a news release. Schultz was pronounced dead at 5:21 a.m. at the scene.
Schultz’s vehicle entered the northbound lane while rotating counterclockwise. Michael J. Reid II, 38, was traveling northbound in his Chevrolet Silverado when he struck the right side of Schultz’s PT Cruiser, causing both vehicles to exit the road to the east, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded about 5 a.m. to the crash, Sheriff’s Deputy Aimee Knop said.
McHenry Battalion Fire Chief David Harwood said Reid was taken to Centegra Hospital – McHenry with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Reid was wearing a seat belt while Schultz was not. Both vehicles had airbag deployment.
“We had to remove a door to gain access to the patient [Schultz],” Harwood said. “We verified the patient was deceased, and then transported the other patient from the scene.”
Route 31 between Ringwood and School roads was shut down when responders first arrived. The road reopened more than five hours later, according to an alert from the sheriff’s office.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Traffic Crash Investigation Unit was on the scene. The coroner’s office, the sheriff’s office and McHenry fire all are investigating the incident. Majewski said an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
– Allison Goodrich