Police release identities of drivers in Edwardsville interstate crash that killed baby
Illinois State Police on Sunday identified the two drivers in a fatal vehicle crash near Edwardsville on Friday.
A 2-month-old boy died in the accident, which occurred about 10 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 270, east of Interstate 255, according to a press release from the Illinois State Police District 11 office.
Christian A. Mueller, 23, of Granite City, was driving a car that was merging from the right lane to the middle lane due to an Illinois Department of Transportation construction closure. A truck driven by William E. Ball, 42, of St. Louis, rear-ended the car.
The following information resulted from the preliminary investigation:
- A 2011 white Ford F-350 truck driven by Ball was traveling west in the middle lane.
- A 2012 blue Ford Focus driven by Mueller was stopped in the right lane.
- Mueller was waiting to merge to the left because the right lane ahead was shut down for highway work.
- Mueller’s car merged into the middle lane and was rear-ended by Ball’s truck.
- The baby in Mueller’s car was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
- Mueller was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; Ball reported no injuries.
The westbound lanes of Interstate 270 between Interstate 255 and Illinois 157 were closed for an investigation by the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit until about 1 p.m. Friday.
“The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time,” the press release stated.
No charges had been filed as of Sunday morning.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 10:21 AM.