The identity of a man killed in a crash on on Lake Cook Road in Deer Park has been identified as 71-year-old Robert Clauss, of Mount Prospect. On Monday, May 19, 2025, an autopsy was conducted at the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Mr. Clauss died from blunt force injuries as a result of the crash.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies are continuing to investigate the fatal Sunday morning crash that occurred at Lake Cook Road and Ferndale Road in Deer Park.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies and Lake Zurich firefighters and paramedics responded about 10:20 a.m. Sunday, May 18, 2025 to a report of a traffic crash with injuries at Lake Cook Road and Ferndale Road, Deer Park. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find two vehicles with major damage, and two people critically injured.
The 71-year-old driver of Mount Prospect, driving an Alfa Romeo, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. A passenger in the Alfa Romeo, a 63-year-old woman of Mount Prospect, was also transported to an area hospital, where she remains in serious, but stable condition. The driver of the Jeep sustained minor injuries and is cooperating with the investigation.
A preliminary investigation shows a 2025 Jeep Wrangler, driven by a 75-year-old man of Deer Park, was eastbound on Lake Cook Road, and was attempting to turn left onto northbound Ferndale Road. A 1986 Alfa Romeo, driven by a 71-year-old man of Mount Prospect, was traveling westbound on Lake Cook Road.
The driver of the Jeep indicated they did not see the Alfa Romeo, and began a left turn in front of the Alfa Romeo. The Jeep and Alfa Romeo collided.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on the driver of the Alfa Romeo.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.
Lake Cook Road is a two-lane rural highway with narrow paved shoulders with a speed limit of 45 mph at the intersection with Ferndale Road. The intersection features Ferndale Road to the north and Palm Drive to the south. Ferndale Road and Palm Drive are slightly misaligned — otherwise the intersection is a perpendicular intersection, and both Ferndale Road and Palm Drive are residential streets into single-family home neighborhoods. There are no hills or Crests or curves near the intersection.
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