2 killed, 5 injured when pickup hits motorcycles in Fox Lake

Two people were killed and five injured when a pickup truck swerved into a group of motorcycles Saturday afternoon in north suburban Fox Lake.

About 3:10 p.m., the truck was heading south on State Park Road about a half-mile north of Route 12 when it drifted into oncoming traffic and hit two motorcycles, according to Fox Lake police. Another motorcyclist laid his bike down on the pavement to avoid the crash.

The truck and two motorcycles were on fire when emergency crews arrived. Witnesses had stopped and pulled the injured motorcyclists away from the wreck, police said.

The pickup driver, 60-year-old Spring Grove resident Charles Kleffner, died at the scene, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.

Motorcyclist Matthew Stautz, 43, was taken to Centegra Hospital in McHenry, where he was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m., according to the McHenry County coroner’s office. Stautz lived in Rothschild, Wisconsin.

Five motorcycle drivers and passengers were taken to Centegra and Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, police said.

The road was shut down for six hours as crews cleared the scene. The cause of the crash is under investigation.