Highland woman seriously injured in rollover crash on Interstate 55
A 39- year-old Highland woman was injured after her car rolled over on Interstate 55 and was struck by a semi trailer when its driver swerved to avoid debris in the road.
The woman was identified as Wendy M. Thomas. She was taken by helicopter to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon by Illinois State Police.
The accident, which occurred at 11:17 p.m. Tuesday, shut down northbound lanes of I-55, just north of Illinois 143, for about two hours.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that Thomas was traveling north on Interstate 55 and for unknown reasons had been involved in a rollover crash and came to rest in the right lane of Interstate 55 north at Illinois Route 143,” the ISP release stated.
The driver of the semi trailer, Matthew J. Anderson, of Freeburg, was traveling north at the same location when he came up on a debris field in the roadway, then noticed the overturned red Hyundai Sonata. He was unable to avoid striking Thomas’ car, Illinois State Police said.
The impact caused Thomas’ car to come to rest in the center of the roadway while the semi trailer ended up on the exit ramp at Illinois 143. The passenger in Thomas’ car, Chase R. Lewis, 23, from Troy, was not injured.
The traffic crash is still under investigation, with possible charges pending, according to the ISP release.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 2:09 PM.
