Passenger loses foot in Rollins Road crash
By Frank Abderholden fabderholden@stmedianetwork.com January 10, 2013 5:16PM
Updated: February 12, 2013 2:44PM
An early morning accident Thursday that closed down Rollins Road west of Gurnee until 7:15 a.m. involved one car that burst into flames and left a passenger with a severed foot and broken ribs.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said a black Mercedes-Benz SUV was traveling eastbound on Rollins Road around 3:15 a.m. just west of Route 45 when the driver, Justin Schulze, 23, apparently lost control and the vehicle hit the guardrail on the north side of the roadway.
The vehicle rolled over and then caught fire.
Schulze, of the 18000 block of Lindenwood Drive, Wildwood, and passenger John Bruhn, 29, address unknown, were able to escape from the Mercedes. Both were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center, Libertyville.
Firefighting crews put out the fire, but the water then iced over the roadway and the Lake County Division of Transportation was called to salt and clear the ice-covered road.
It was re-opened to traffic at 7:15 a.m.
The accident investigation will continue to determine if there were any contributing factors to the accident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
