Illinois police recently worked to reconstruct a truck accident that occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 shortly after 11 p.m. on May 8. Sadly, the crash resulted in the deaths of both drivers.
Police were alerted to the presence of a car that was stopped in the right lane of the interstate. The vehicle apparently did not have its lights on when it was reported. Unfortunately, before authorities arrived at the scene, a semi truck crashed into the car from behind.
After surveying the crash site, authorities determined that the truck was in the right lane of the interstate when it smashed into the car. The truck began dragging the car across both lanes of the road. The interlocked vehicles passed through a guardrail and the median before the car became dislodged from the truck. As the smaller vehicle came to a rest on the inside shoulder of the interstate, the truck continued down a long embankment and into a creek bed beneath the interstate.
Both victims were thrown from their vehicles, and police determined that the woman in the car was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.
Illinois authorities apparently have their work cut out for them in unraveling the exact cause of this fatal truck accident. In addition to any available witness statements, an accurate reconstruction of the accident will be necessary to determine exactly what happened. The answers may have consequences for any subsequent claims for damages arising out of this awful tragedy.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Chicago woman dies in Downstate crash,” May 9, 2012