KHN – According to investigators, a 20-year-old Northwestern University student who was killed in a wrong-way driving accident on Route 41 in Lake Bluff was the at-fault driver and was suspected of driving while drunk.
At 4:52 a.m. Sunday, the Lake Bluff Police Department, Lake Forest Fire Department, and Lake Bluff Fire Department responded to Route 41 south of Route 176 for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries. Lake Bluff Deputy Police Chief Erik Gehrke reported that officers arrived to find two automobiles involved in a front-end collision.
A preliminary examination revealed that one of the two vehicles was heading southward in the northbound lanes of Route 41, resulting in the head-on collision.
The Lake Forest Fire Department dispatched two ambulances to the area.
One driver died at the spot, while the other was taken to a nearby hospital with “significant injuries,” Gehrke added. According to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek, the deceased victim is Britney Perez, 20, of Evanston. Perez is originally from Texas.
According to Banek, an autopsy performed on Perez on Monday revealed that she died from blunt force injuries sustained in the incident. The drivers were the only occupants of their automobiles, and no further passengers were discovered.
Due to the seriousness of the incident, the Lake Bluff Police Department requested assistance from the Lake County Major incident Assistance Team (MCAT) in the investigation.
Northbound Route 41 was closed at Route 60 until around 9:45 a.m. when the incident investigation was done and the vehicles were removed.
MCAT investigators discovered that Perez was driving a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek southbound in Route 41’s northbound lanes.
MCAT reports that at the same time, a 45-year-old male was driving a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound on Route 41. The Subaru collided head-on with the Jeep. Following the crash, officers retrieved Perez from her vehicle, where she was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, Perez was suspected of being drunk at the time of the incident. The Jeep driver was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he remains in stable condition despite severe injuries.
Perez attended Northwestern University in Evanston, according to the campus ministry. The campus ministry stated that students who want to speak with someone can do so by calling or visiting the Sheil Catholic Center in Evanston.
The Lake Bluff Police Department and MCAT continue to investigate the event.