Motorcycle passenger killed in Lake County DUI crash
Gregory Shaer (Lake County Sheriff)
ANTIOCH, Ill. - A motorcycle crash in Lake County Saturday night resulted in the death of a passenger.
According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the scene of the crash at the intersection of Route 59 and Diemer Street in unincorporated Antioch around 8:30 p.m.
Deputies found a downed 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a 43-year-old woman lying unconscious in the roadway.
The woman, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. On Wednesday, she died from her injuries Advocate Condell Medical Center. The Lake County Coroner's Office identified her as Mechelle Hall, of Lindenhurst.
The driver of the motorcycle, 51-year-old Gregory Shaer of unincorporated Lake Villa, was not seriously hurt.
Shaer told the deputies that he had swerved to avoid a vehicle that turned in front of him. However, a 33-year-old woman driving a GMC Acadia told deputies that Shaer had sideswiped her vehicle while driving in the wrong lane of traffic.
Deputies suspected Shaer of being under the influence of alcohol and arrested him. He refused to take a breath, blood, or urine test, but the sheriff's office got a search warrant to collect samples for analysis.
Shaer was charged with aggravated DUI resulting in great bodily harm, DUI, and driving in the wrong lane of traffic. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing.