A man was seriously injured and had to be flown to the hospital after a head-on crash shut down Route 176 near McHenry for two hours Thursday morning.
The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7:06 a.m. Thursday to the area of Route 176 and Nish Road in unincorporated McHenry for a vehicle crash with entrapment.
Nunda Rural Fire Protection District Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said crews located a serious crash involving a small SUV and a landscaper truck pulling a trailer.
The head-on crash occurred just east of the intersection.
Firefighters worked for nearly 20 minutes to extricate the adult male driver of the SUV, who was trapped inside the vehicle, Vucha said.
The driver was transported by ambulance to the LifeNet medical helicopter helipad at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
He was then airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries.
Vucha said the driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital for evaluation.
Route 176 was shut down in both directions for nearly two hours.
The Cary Fire Protection District, Wauconda Fire District and McHenry Township Fire Protection District assisted at the scene.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the crash.