Illinois police have arrested an uninsured driver who crashed through the wall of a house in the middle of the night before fleeing the scene and left a 71-year-old woman pinned down by his pickup truck.
Lake County Sheriff County Sheriff’s office published pictures showing the GMC pickup truck embedded in the bedroom wall of a house in Spring Grove on May 19.
A GMC Pick up truck embedded in a house in Spring Grove, Lake County, Illinois. Lake County Sheriff's Office
A GMC Pick up truck embedded in a house in Spring Grove, Lake County, Illinois. Lake County Sheriff's Office
Deputies arrived in the small hours of the morning to find a 71-year-old woman, who had been sleeping at the time of the crash, pinned underneath the GMC truck.
The driver had fled, but was later identified by police, who tracked him down and charged him over the crash.
A board covers the hole where the pickup truck hit the house in Spring Grove, Lake County, Illinois Lake County Sheriff's Office
“Further investigation showed the GMC had previously been traveling northbound on Route 12 north of North Lake Vista Terrace at a high rate of speed, according to witnesses,” said the Sheriff’s office in a statement. “The driver of the GMC struck a northbound 2018 Volkswagen SUV. The GMC then struck a utility pole on the west side of Route 12, drove through a fence, and struck the home.”
According to the police, the homeowner was freed from the crash wreckage by the local fire department, and taken to the nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Two cats and a dog at the property remain unaccounted for, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver and passenger of a Volkswagen that was also involved in the crash were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Lake County lies just north of the city of Chicago on the west coast of Lake Michigan.
Lake County Illinois Screenshot/googlemaps
The GMC truck driver, Talon C. Franz, 28, of Fox Lake, was charged with leaving the scene of a traffic crash, reckless driving, failure to report a traffic crash, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
Talon Franz Lake County Sheriff
Franz is being held in the Lake County Jail on $75,000 bail.
Under Illinois state law, leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury is a minimum Class 4 felony offense. Failing to report the accident within 30 minutes to the nearest police station bumps it up to a Class 2 felony which carries a 3-7 year prison sentence. Franz has been charged with the Class 2 felony offense.
Simon Veazey
Freelance Reporter
Simon Veazey is a UK-based journalist who has reported for The Epoch Times since 2006 on various beats, from in-depth coverage of British and European politics to web-based writing on breaking news.
