Two flown to hospitals after rollover crash in Southern Illinois

Two people were flown to a hospital Thursday afternoon after a driver of a car over-corrected, and the vehicle ended up on its roof on U.S. 51 in Perry County.

Michael W. Varner was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Colorado north on U.S. 51 at Gable Lane at 2:55 p.m. Thursday, according to a release from Illinois State Police. The 47-year-old man drifted off the left side of the road and then over-corrected the car.

Police said the Chevrolet began to spin sideways. It struck a mailbox, went across the roadway into a ditch, hit an embankment and overturned. The vehicle landed on its roof.

Varner and one of his passengers, 30-year-old Caleb J. Wright, were flown to a regional hospital with serious injuries. Both men are from Du Quoin, police said.

Another passenger, 33-year-old Rosanna R. Harris, was taken to a hospital for minor injuries. She is from Tamaroa, according to the release.

Police did not know what initially caused Varner to veer off the road. He was charged with improper lane usage and use of unsafe tires.

This story was originally published June 29, 2018 at 9:02 AM.