Park Ridge crash leaves driver dead, power out

A predawn traffic crash in Park Ridge left a 37-year-old man dead and power outages in the area, police said Tuesday.

Shalom Peters was behind the wheel of a 2017 Mercedes SUV traveling east when he crossed into the westbound lanes in the 1000 block of Oakton Street about 2:35 a.m., Park Ridge police spokesman Tom Gadomski said.

The SUV then hit two utility poles, leaving Peters, of Morton Grove, dead on the scene, according to Gadomski, who said no one else was in the SUV.

The eastbound lanes have been reopened, but westbound lanes remained closed because of “extensive utility repair” that needs to be done after the wreck caused power outages in the area.