Two drivers seriously injured in crash near McHenry

A 39-year-old Jacksonville, Oregon, man and a 53-year-old McHenry woman were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday along River Road near McHenry, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office, Island Lake Police Department and McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded to a call at 7:19 a.m. Thursday of a two-vehicle crash in the 1500 block of River Road near McHenry, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

A 1996 Ford Club Wagon driven by the Jacksonville man was traveling north on River Road and tried to pass a vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The Ford lost control and crashed into a 2010 Honda Element driven by the McHenry woman traveling south.

“The vehicles came to rest in front of the entrance for Moraine Hills State Park,” according to the sheriff’s office. “The driver of the Ford was ejected from the vehicle, and the driver of the Honda was extricated from the vehicle.”

Both drivers were the only occupants in the vehicles. They were taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, according to the release.

The driver of the Ford was not wearing a seat belt, and no airbags were deployed. He later was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with injuries that were life-threatening, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the Honda is in serious but stable condition. She was wearing a seat belt, and airbags were deployed, according to the release.

The crash currently is being investigated by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit, according to the release.

The sheriff’s office issued a warning Thursday morning of hazardous and icy road conditions, and iced over roads apparently contributed to a fatal crash near Woodstock that occurred around the same time as the River Road crash.