* According to WCIA, traffic was diverted from I-70 to Route 40 following a crash on the interstate. I-70 is under extensive construction and these crashes and diversions have become all too common. From CNN…
The sequence of events that led to the accident appears to have started when someone tried to pass the semi-truck, the NTSB said at a Sunday media briefing.
“Preliminary information indicates that another vehicle may have been involved in a passing maneuver near the tanker truck. The driver of the truck appears to have reacted by pulling to the right,” said board member Tom Chapman. “The tanker truck departed the roadway. After departing the roadway, the truck rolled over, and the cargo tank was compromised.” […]
“As it rolled over, the tanker truck jackknifed and exposed the head end of the tank,” said Chapman. “As momentum carried the tank forward, it came into contact with the hitch on the utility trailer. The hitch punctured the cargo tank, leaving a hole approximately 6 inches in diameter.”
Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the five dead included three from the same family: one adult and two children under 12. The other two were adult motorists from out of state, Rhodes said.
Additionally, five people were airlifted to hospitals, their conditions unknown.
* I told you all that so I could show you this ISP press release…
The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a vehicle potentially involved in a crash on September 29, 2023 just outside of Teutopolis that resulted in five fatalities and multiple injuries.
On Friday, September 29, 2023, ISP, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Teutopolis Fire Protection District, and other local law enforcement, fire, and emergency services responded to a crash that occurred at 8:42 p.m. on 19740 East U.S. Highway 40. The crash involved a semi-truck tanker carrying anhydrous ammonia that was punctured and leaked.
The initial investigation shows at approximately 8:35 p.m., a dark colored vehicle (unknown make/model) potentially involved in the incident traveling westbound through the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Spring Creek Road in Montrose, Illinois. The investigation determined the vehicle continued traveling Westbound through Teutopolis on U.S. Highway 40 and would have passed the semi-truck tanker.
ISP agents are in Casey, Montrose, and Teutopolis communities retrieving surveillance video that could provide more information into this incident. If you have doorbell or security cameras that may have captured video of this suspect vehicle before or after the incident, or any information, please contact Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 Investigations at 217-342-7881.
Video of the vehicle passing through the intersection can be found here https://youtu.be/b4l68efYq7A.
