5-year-old killed, toddler critically injured in Beach Park crash

BEACH PARK, Ill. - A 5-year-old boy was killed and a 2-year-old was critically injured in a head-on car crash Tuesday afternoon in suburban Beach Park.

The crash happened around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Green Bay Road and Hart Street, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Investigation revealed a Chevrolet Malibu was illegally passing other southbound vehicles in the northbound lanes of Green Bay Road when it collided head-on with a GMC Sierra, officials said.

Two young boys, 2 and 5, were riding in the Chevrolet at the time of the crash. A 2-year-old boy who was seated on the driver's lap was critically injured and transported to Lurie Children's Hospital. 

The driver of the Chevrolet, a 24-year-old man, had to be extricated from the vehicle. Before he was taken to the hospital, he told deputies that there was no one else in the vehicle, officials said.

Deputies said they later discovered a critically injured 5-year-old boy beneath debris behind the driver's seat. The 5-year-old was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

The 57-year-old man who was driving the GMC suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to a local hospital.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office said "appropriate" criminal charges will be pursued.