Three Killed In Fiery Ingleside Crash
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three people were killed in a fiery crash in far north suburban Ingleside, and police are having difficulty finding out who the victims were.
Lake County Sheriff's Det. Christopher Covelli said a Kia Optima struck a tree and burst into flames just east of the intersection of Rollins Road and Lake Shore Drive in Ingleside shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"It appears the vehicle was traveling westbound on Rollins Road, east of West Lake Shore Drive, and left the roadway on the northhand side of the road, before striking the tree," he said.
Rollins Road curves near where the crash happened, but Covelli said it's unclear if that was a factor. He said there was no indication of open alcohol containers in the Kia.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports it's not known if speed, alcohol or drugs played a role in this crash that claimed three lives. It also wasn't raining there. People who call Ingleside home say the area is known as "Dead Man's Curve."
"The road just got repaved a couple of days so it's more dangerous now than usual, but every couple of years there's an accident right over here," said Ingleside resident Angela Brady. "My family and I won't even take this road at night. It's just not safe."
"It is an unlit roadway," said Corvelli. "It's a traditional two lane roadway. There is a curve in the road in the area where the crash occurred. It's unknown at this time if that curve did play a factor. That's something our accident investigators will be looking into."
DNA swabs and-or dental records are being used to try to identify the victims.
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Covelli said accident investigators are working with the Lake County Coroner's Office to try to find the owner of the vehicle, and the families of the victims.
"Generally, in any type of crash situation, running the license plate will generally give you a good indication of who the owner is, who the vehicle registers to, but in this case, it's a little difficult, because the registration didn't match what the vehicle actually was," he said.
Rollins Road was closed for about six hours as police investigated the crash.
