Motorcyclist dies in crash near Libertyville

LIBERTYVILLE – Police said a 49-year-old Lake Villa man was killed Sept. 5 when the motorcycle he was riding collided with an SUV along Route 21 near Libertyville.

About 5 p.m. Sept. 5, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Route 21 south of Casey Road in unincorporated Libertyville for a traffic crash involving a motorcycle, according to a news release.

A BMW motorcycle, driven by 49-year-old William Matthies of Lake Villa, was traveling south on Route 21. Witnesses told police the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic. As the motorcycle continued south, a Hyundai SUV, driven by a 68-year-old woman was turning left from the Independence Grove Dog Park onto southbound Route 21, police said.

The motorcycle collided with the Hyundai, which caused the motorcycle to strike a curb, and the driver was thrown into a guardrail. Matthies was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and he later was pronounced deceased. The driver of the Hyundai was uninjured.

On Sept. 6, an autopsy was conducted at the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Preliminary results indicate Matthies died from blunt force injuries as a result of the crash.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.