Seven injured in Des Plaines crash

Slick roads early Thursday morning caused a two-vehicle crash on South Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines that sent seven people to three area hospitals with injuries.

The icy conditions also caused a crash involving a Morton Grove rescue squad car on its way to the accident, Fire Chief Alan Wax said. A vehicle struck the squad car at the intersection of East Oakton Street and Des Plaines River Road in Des Plaines. There were no injuries in that accident, but both vehicles were inoperable after the crash.

Des Plaines Deputy Police Chief Mike Kozak said police are still investigating the South Elmhurst Road accident. The driver of a pickup truck lost control due to ice on the road, went over the median and struck a van about 5 a.m. near the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, according to fire officials.

The first units arrived at 5:10 a.m. to find multiple people injured and others still trapped in the vehicles. The van was hit on its side, leaving the side door inoperable, fire officials said.

Des Plaines firefighters had to cut several passengers from both vehicles, Wax said.

Two patients had serious injuries, three had moderate injuries and two had minor injuries. Ambulances transported two patients to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, two to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and three to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.

Ambulances from Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Township, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights transported the patients.

Elk Grove Village, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, North Maine and Palatine responded with additional equipment.

All lanes of Elmhurst Road were shut down following the accident, as well as the exit from westbound I-90 to Elmhurst Road. They all reopened Thursday at 6:50 a.m.