Valmeyer’s police chief witnesses fatal, head-on crash in Columbia, Illinois
Valmeyer’s police chief was off-duty on Friday night when he called 911 to report a van moving erratically on Bluff Road in Columbia, Illinois, before he saw it collide head-on with a truck driven by a Monroe County man who died from his injuries, police said.
Dennis Fitzwilliam, 68, of the Waterloo area was pronounced deceased at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County, according to Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon.
The driver of the van, Zachary D. Sloan, 31, of Collinsville, was listed in critical condition in St. Louis University Hospital on Saturday, Donjon said.
Sloan was flown to the hospital in a helicopter on Friday night.
Sloan was charged with improper lane usage in connection with the crash, Donjon said. Toxicology test results are pending, the police chief said.
On Monday, Columbia officers had arrested Sloan on charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and operating an uninsured vehicle, Donjon said.
Sloan posted a $1,000 cash bond on Wednesday, according to online Monroe County court records. His bond had been set at $10,000, with 10% cash needed for release.
A court date on the possession of a controlled substance charge is scheduled for Feb. 16.
The vehicle that Sloan had on Monday was different from the one he had on Friday, Donjon said.
Fatal crash
Donjon said Fitzwilliam’s death is an “absolute tragedy.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out with his family and friends and everyone else,” Donjon said.
Donjon gave this account of what happened Friday:
Valmeyer Police Chief Marty Seitz was in his private vehicle when he called 911 about a 2010 Ford van going north on Bluff Road near Sand Bank Road at 5:45 p.m. in Columbia.
Seitz saw the van driven by Sloan cross the center line and collide with a southbound 2019 Ford truck driven by Fitzwilliam, Donjon said.
“He noticed the van driving very erratically, running other cars off the road,” Donjon said. “He actually witnessed the van cross into the lane and hit the truck that was going southbound.”
Columbia firefighters had to extricate both drivers from the vehicles.
A regional police team that does accident-reconstruction investigations also was called to the scene.
Bluff Road was closed until 10 p.m. when investigators cleared the scene.
This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 7:39 PM.
