Waukegan bicyclist critically injured after kids distract driver: officials

CHICAGO - A Waukegan man is in critical condition after he was struck by an SUV while riding his bicycle Sunday morning in northwest suburban Wauconda.

Lake County sheriff's deputies responded to the crash on Fairfield Road near Route 176 around 7 a.m., according to a statement. When deputies arrived, they located a 48-year-old Waukegan man with critical injuries, the sheriff's office said.

A preliminary investigation found the cyclist was riding south on the right side of Fairfield Road when a Dodge SUV, driven by a 24-year-old Palatine woman, veered into him. Officials said the woman became distracted by young children that were also inside her vehicle.

The cyclist struck the front of the SUV and hit the windshield before falling underneath the vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Deputies attempted to perform life-saving measures on the man before he was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries.

The woman and two children were uninjured in the accident.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is still investigating.