One dead after car crashes into state trooper’s car in I-55 construction zone

An accident including a state trooper’s squad car ended with one person dead Friday afternoon.

According to the Illinois State Police, a state trooper was parked on the left shoulder of Interstate 55 with her emergency lights activated to protect construction workers at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. A southbound Chevrolet Malibu lost control of the wheel for unknown reasons, and drove off the roadway, hitting the squad car from the rear.

The car then struck a crash attenuator set up by the Illinois Department of Transportation before coming to a stop. The driver, a 76-year-old Hamel man, was airlifted to St. Louis University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The state trooper, a 27-year-old Hamel woman, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Neither person’s identity was released by state police.