Gurnee car crash leaves 2 in critical condition, sheriff says

GURNEE, Ill. - Two people were seriously hurt after their car struck a pole in Gurnee Saturday afternoon. 

An 88-year-old Gurnee woman was driving her Toyota RAV4 southbound on Route 41 when she turned right on Stearns School Road.  

A Kia Forte driven by a 20-year-old Richmond woman turned left off Route 41 onto Stearns School Road at the same time and the two vehicles collided. The initial crash caused relatively minor damage, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. 

The passenger in the RAV4, an 84-year-old Gurnee man, told police that the driver of the RAV4 then pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. The driver lost control and struck a utility pole at a high rate of speed. 

Gurnee police responded to the scene of the second crash at 2:15 p.m. Lake County Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene as well. 

Both the driver and passenger in the RAV4 were transported to an area hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Forte was uninjured.

The crash remains under investigation.