Man trapped under tow truck, critically injured in Hawthorn Woods

A man is in critical condition after he was trapped under a tow truck Sunday evening in northwest suburban Hawthorn Woods.

A passerby heard a man crying for help under a vehicle on Gilmer Road north of Schwerman Road at 5:19 p.m. and called 911, according to Hawthorn Woods police.

Officers found an unresponsive man trapped on the ground under the front driver’s side tire of a 2006 Cadillac that was being towed in a wheel-lift position with the rear tires off the ground, police said.

The victim, a 38-year-old Rockford man, was taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he remains in critical condition, police said.

Investigators believe he was the driver of the tow truck and pulled over to the side of Gilmer Road and got out of the truck. He left the transmission in the drive position, and the truck moved forward, trapping him under the front tire of the towed vehicle, police said.

Gilmer Road was closed between Schwerman and Chevy Chase roads for about three hours, police said.

The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team is helping Hawthorn Woods police with the investigation.