Three die in nine-car collision on Interstate 57
Three motorists died when a northbound semi collided with nine vehicles at approximately 5 p.m. Monday on Interstate 57 between exits 193 and 192.
Northbound motorists are being detoured to Illinois Route 145 via Routes 190 and 192.
Sgt. Bill Emery, safety education officer for the Illinois State Police, said the driver of the semi, out of Louisiana who was hauling over 42,000 pounds of cargo, told police he looked down at his map briefly, and when he looked up vehicles were stopped due to construction approximately three miles ahead.
“There was more or less a chain reaction,” Emery said.
Emery said the vehicle struck first (a GMC Envoy) caught fire and its driver and two passengers died.
There were multiple injuries, Emery said, but an exact number is unknown. Also, several injured persons were treated and released at the scene.
Individuals with serious injuries were either sent to Sarah Bush-Lincoln hospital in Mattoon or Carle Hospital in Urbana.
Emery said a crash reconstruction team had arrived on the scene to determine exactly how fast the semi was going.
The Coles County Sheriff’s Office, the Mattoon Police Department, the Mattoon Fire Department, the Lincoln Township Fire Department, the Arcola fire department and the Illinois State Police responded to the accident.
Jason Hardimon can be reached at 581-7942 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com
Three die in nine-car collision on Interstate 57
Northbound motorsists were detoured to Illinois routes 190 and 192 Monday after a nine car accident including one tractor trailer hauling 42,000 lbs of cargo smashed into a GMC Envoy on the evening of May 31, 2010. (Rob Warren/The Daily Eastern News)
