A 22-year-old man who lost his life in a collision on Christmas Eve near Lake Villa has been identified as Axel Maldonado Guerrero, a resident of Round Lake Beach.
Guerrero was seated in the front passenger position of a Jeep that collided with a residence, resulting in significant damage, at approximately 7:25 p.m. on the 21300 block of West Engle Drive. A backseat passenger, also a 22-year-old man from Round Lake Beach, sustained serious injuries.
According to authorities, the Jeep was traveling eastbound on West Engle Drive when it veered into the westbound lane, then returned to the eastbound lane before leaving the roadway on the south side, entering a yard, and ultimately crashing into the house.
At the time of the incident, no occupants were present in the home. Maldonado Guerrero was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy conducted by the Lake County Coroner’s office indicated that he succumbed to blunt-force trauma to the head as a result of the accident.
The driver of the Jeep, Marcos Corona-Vargas, 31, also from Round Lake Beach, has been charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence, as reported by authorities on Wednesday. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team is continuing to investigate the incident.
