Fatal car crashes in Lake County, Illinois
From 2020 through 2024, 257 people died in 240 crashes on roads in Lake County, Illinois.
That is 7.2 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, below the Illinois rate of 9.8 and below the US rate of 12.1.
US-41 (Skokie Hwy) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 19, killing 20.
A driver police reported as drinking was involved in 33% of fatal crashes here, against 24% statewide.
In 2024, 50 people were killed, about the same than in 2020 (50).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 718,604 · checked October 2, 2026
people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (240 crashes)
deaths a year per 100,000 residents (Illinois 9.8, US 12.1)
pedestrians killed, 16% of all deaths here
of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking
Where the fatal crashes happened
Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report.
The deadliest roads in Lake County
US-41 (Skokie Hwy) leads with 19 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.
| # | Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US-41 Skokie Hwy | 19 | 20 |
| 2 | SR-131 Green Bay Rd | 15 | 16 |
| 3 | I-94 To Oasis Ramp | 14 | 15 |
| 4 | US-12 Rand Rd | 12 | 15 |
| 5 | SR-137 Buckley Rd | 11 | 11 |
| 6 | SR-83 Lake St | 8 | 9 |
| 7 | SR-120 Belvidere Rd | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | US-45 Lake St | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | SR-59 W Grand Ave | 7 | 7 |
| 10 | SR-132 Grand Ave | 6 | 9 |
Deaths by year
Lake County ranks 3rd of 76 Illinois counties by deaths and 72nd by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.
When crashes turn deadly
52% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 11 pm to 12 am.
Sunday had the most fatal crashes (49), and 36% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.
By month, October was the worst (34 crashes across the five years).
What was involved
Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Lake County, next to Illinois and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.
| Factor | Lake County | Share | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding was a factor a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions | 76 | 32% | 34% | 28% |
| A driver had been drinking police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver | 79 | 33% | 24% | 26% |
| A large truck was involved a truck over 10,000 lbs | 46 | 19% | 14% | 13% |
| Hit-and-run a driver left the scene | 19 | 8% | 9% | 7% |
| Pedestrians killed share of all deaths | 40 | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists killed share of all deaths | 38 | 15% | 13% | 15% |
| Bicyclists killed share of all deaths | 8 | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Teens (15-19) killed share of all deaths | 16 | 6% | 7% | 7% |
After a crash in Lake County
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Get the crash report
Statewide copies come from Illinois State Police (ISP) Patrol Records Unit, for crashes ISP investigated, cost $5.00 statutory fee (service fee added online: 2.35% with a $1.00 minimum on credit cards); an unredacted copy needs a subpoena or judge's order plus a $20.00 subpoena processing fee and are usually ready Online requests "may take 10 or more business days to process".
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Know your deadline
Illinois gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: This is a shortened deadline to sue, not a notice rule: a civil action against a local government entity or its employees must be filed within one year from the date of injury (the 8-102 notice requirement was repealed). Claims against the State go to the Court of Claims, which has its own notice rules not checked here.
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Who pays
Illinois is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
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If you were partly at fault
If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if you were more than 50% at fault.
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The other driver’s minimum coverage
The legal minimum liability coverage in Illinois is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property (25/50/20).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Illinois. Both take under a minute.
Cities in Lake County
| City | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan | 41 | 9.3 | 10 | 88,570 |
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, Illinois | 22 mi | 1,967 | 7.6 | 522 | 5,182,617 |
| DuPage County, Illinois | 27 mi | 237 | 5.1 | 48 | 937,142 |
| Kenosha County, Wisconsin | 28 mi | 76 | 9.0 | 8 | 168,754 |
| McHenry County, Illinois | 34 mi | 107 | 6.8 | 8 | 315,959 |
| Kane County, Illinois | 36 mi | 186 | 7.1 | 22 | 520,997 |
| Racine County, Wisconsin | 41 mi | 81 | 8.2 | 12 | 198,651 |
| Walworth County, Wisconsin | 50 mi | 59 | 11.1 | 5 | 106,029 |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 50 mi | 478 | 10.3 | 106 | 924,740 |
About these numbers
FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.