One killed in two-vehicle crash in Prairie Grove; another flown to hospital

A 27-year-old Crystal Lake man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Saturday along Route 176 in Prairie Grove after he collided with a cargo truck, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Tyler King, 27, was driving west in the 2000 block of Route 176, west of Bayview Beach Road in Prairie Grove, when he crossed the center line into the eastbound lane and struck a cargo truck head on, according to sheriff office’s spokesman Sgt. Eric Ellis and a news release. It was not known as of Monday why King’s vehicle veered into the eastbound lane.

King was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived about 3 p.m. while the other driver, a Wauconda man, was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, the sheriff’s office said. The crash left a portion of both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 176 closed for several hours, reopening about 10 p.m. Saturday, Ellis said.

King was driving a 2002 Toyota Highlander while the Wauconda man was driving a 2001 Ford E350 cargo truck, officials said. Both drivers were wearing seat belts. The Ford, as a result of the crash, left the roadway and was overturned, spilling its cargo.

Those who responded included the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District.

An investigation by both the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office is ongoing.