Two crashes close multiple lanes of Interstate 55 in Madison County, police say
Two car accidents Wednesday afternoon closed all northbound lanes and some southbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Madison County.
Around noon, on I-55 at Illinois 143 near Edwardsville, a 2019 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by a 31-year-old man from Lafayette, Louisiana, struck the back of a Nissan Altima driven by Janet L. Dunaway, 54, of Benld, and pushed it into the right lane, a news release from the Illinois State Police stated. The crash occurred in a construction zone.
The 2019 Freightliner then struck the semi-trailer of a 2000 Freightliner, driven by Jose L. Valles, 46, of Beloit, Wisconsin, the release stated. The 2019 Freightliner pushed the 2000 Freightliner into the back of a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Danni-Ann P. Sutter, 59, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The driver of the 2019 Freightliner was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital with serious injuries. His name is not being released due to the severity of his injuries, the release stated. Dunaway, the driver of the Nissan, was transported by ambulance to a St. Louis hospital. Valles and Sutter both refused medical attention.
Right after the crash in the northbound lanes, another accident occurred in the southbound lanes of I-55 at Illinois 4 near Staunton, closing one lane and a shoulder to the left, ISP Trooper Korando said. By 3:20 p.m., the southbound lanes were reopened.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, traffic was backed up past the I-70/270 interchange from the crash near Edwardsville. The lanes had reopened by 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 2:35 PM.
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