WILMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois State Police troopers, along with first responders from local communities in the area of Wilmington, Illinois, raced to Interstate-55 to respond to reports of a fiery crash involving a tractor-trailer truck and several other vehicles. The blaze forced troopers to shut down I-55 northbound to the south of Lorenzo Road. CBS Chicago 2 reported that the semi-truck failed to stop for traffic as the tractor-trailer entered a construction zone during Friday afternoon rush hour traffic. The crash between the big rig and the vehicle the 18-wheeler hit first started a chain reaction accident. Three vehicles caught fire, and one man died at the accident scene. The investigation into the incident remains open with Illinois auto accident investigators. *
The events unraveled in the blink of an eye. Witnesses told Illinois State Police that a tractor-trailer did not stop before striking the back of a 2001 Chevy pickup driven by a 73-year-old woman. The initial crash propelled both vehicles into another tractor-trailer truck, a Chevy Monte Carlo sedan, and a 2017 Toyota Prius. The pile up set the two tractor-trailers and the Monte Carlo sedan ablaze.
The operator of the big rig that started the collision perished in the crash. The 73-year-old pickup truck driver went to the hospital with serious injuries. Unbelievably, the 31-year-old truck driver operating the second big rig, the 35-year-old man driving the Monte Carlo, and the 66-year-old man from St. Louis were not hurt in the collision.
Video footage captured by CBS Chicago 2 showed the dramatic scene in great detail. The footage depicted an overturned big rig on its right side, overturned off of the roadway. The cab and trailer of that vehicle appeared to be completely demolished. The second trailer was burned badly as well.
Illinois State Police have not provided any current information on the woman’s condition and have not issued charges at this time.
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