6 hurt—3 critically—in crash near Palos Heights

A crash near southwest suburban Palos Heights left six people hospitalized on Sunday afternoon, with three of them critically injured.

About 1:45 p.m., a van struck a car at the intersection of 143rd Street and Harlem Avenue in unincorporated Orland Township, Palos Heights Fire Frotection District Capt. Steve Hammerstein told reporters at the scene.

Four people were in each vehicle, Hammerstein said. The occupants of the car were able to get out on their own but crews had to work for about 15 minutes to extricate the people inside the van.

The injured were taken to Palos Community Hospital and Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. Three were in serious-to-critical condition, two in fair-to-serious and one in good-to-fair, fire officials said.

Two other people declined medical treatment at the scene, officials said.

Details on the cause of the crash and potential charges or citations were not immediately available from Cook County sheriff’s police.