Richmond woman involved in crash in Lake County that led to fatality; Gurnee man killed

An 89-year-old man who died as a result of injuries suffered in a crash Saturday in Warren Township has been identified as Leonard Blum of Gurnee.

Blum was a passenger in a RAV4 driven by an 88-year-old woman trying to turn right onto Stearns School Road from Route 41 about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

The RAV4 and a car driven by a 20-year-old woman of Richmond trying to turn left onto Stearns School from Route 41 turned into one another, causing minor damage, authorities said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the RAV4 driver likely pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing it to accelerate to a high speed. The driver lost control and struck a utility pole on Stearns School Road near Fuller Road, the first road west of the intersection where the initial crash occurred.

Both the driver and passenger in the RAV4 were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

The driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.

Later Saturday night, the Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified that an 89-year-old man identified as Blum was pronounced dead in the intensive care unit.

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

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240521/news/89-year-old-gurnee-man-killed-in-car-crash-identified/