May 23--Three men were killed when the car they were in struck a traffic-light pole at U.S. Highway 45/52 and Interstate 57 in Kankakee, authorities said Monday.
The men were identified as Lukas Frye, 25, of Milford, Ill., in Iroquois County, who was driving the black 2007 Nissan Altima; Eddie Sarkozi, 43, of Iroquois, Ill., also in Iroquois County; and Randy Gates, 56, of Kankakee, according to Kankakee County Coroner Robert Gessner.
The three were pronounced dead at the scene at 5:27 a.m. Monday, said Gessner, who added the crash could have taken place Sunday night. Kankakee police discovered the accident at 5 a.m. Monday, according to a Police Department news release.
Gessner said Frye was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected about 30 feet from the car. Gates, a front-seat passenger, and Sarkozi, who was seated in the back, were wearing seat belts, Gessner said. A fourth person in the car was hospitalized and underwent surgery Monday.
Gessner said there was alcohol in the car. The cause and manner of the deaths will be determined after the police investigation and toxicology tests are complete, he said.
The crash happened on Highway 45/52 at the top of the exit ramp from southbound I-57 on the south side of Kankakee, police said.
The car apparently was going south when it left the roadway and slammed into the pole at the I-57 ramp.
According to Kankakee police, the vehicle continued 75 feet into a ditch after striking the pole.
The force of the crash caused the engine to be displaced from the car, Gessner said.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.
