Portage Police said weather conditions, excessive speed and alcohol consumption appear to have played a role in a crash late Saturday night in which a car struck a gas station before rolling over and landing on its side on the lawn in front of City Hall, seriously injuring the driver. Around 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 14, a passerby flagged down an officer on patrol with the Portage Police Department who reported a motor vehicle crash had just occurred in the 6000 block of Central Avenue, according to a release from Capt. Rob Maynard, the police department’s public information officer. The officer who arrived in the area located a black 2006 Jeep Cherokee on its side on the front lawn of City Hall, 6070 Central Ave. A Portage man, 29, was alert and conscious inside the Jeep but trapped. Police said the driver was the only person in the car and was not wearing a seatbelt. Portage firefighters and police respond the night of Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, after a car crashed into a gas pump and rolled before landing in front of City Hall. (Portage Police Department/provided) Portage Fire Department personnel arrived and began extricating the driver. Once freed, the driver was transported via ambulance to an Illinois trauma center with life-threatening injuries. A medical helicopter had been requested but none could fly due to the weather conditions. Police said the investigation showed that the vehicle was traveling westbound on Central Avenue at a high rate of speed when it left the north side of the roadway for unknown reasons and stuck the southeast gas pump at the Gas Co, 6090 Central Ave. Weather conditions, excessive speed and alcohol consumption appear to be contributing factors in the crash, police said. Criminal charges are pending toxicology results.