State Trooper Seriously Hurt in Wreck

An off-duty Illinois State Police trooper was seriously injured when a vehicle that he was a passenger in plowed into a light pole and caught fire Thursday morning on the Northwest Side.

The vehicle struck a pole at the intersection of West Lawrence and North Elston avenues about 5:15 a.m., according to an Albany Park District police officer.

Illinois State Police District Chicago Sgt. Michelle Tufenkjian said the off-duty male trooper was a passenger inside the vehicle, which may have caught fire after it hit the pole.

At 7:10 a.m., the trooper’s supervisor was en route to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where the trooper was initially taken in serious condition, Tufenkjian said.

The trooper is assigned to District Chicago, Tufenkjian said.

A law enforcement source said the city's water department was also notified because the accident caused the head of a fire hydrant to be sheared off.