Illinois highway reopens after dust storm crashes kill 6
DIVERNON, Ill. (AP) — An interstate highway in Illinois reopened Tuesday after a windstorm that kicked up clouds of blinding dust from farm fields and led to crashes that killed at least six people and injured dozens more, police said.
More than 70 vehicles, including dozens of commercial vehicles and passenger cars, were involved in crashes late Monday morning along a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 55 in Montgomery County, 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of St. Louis. The highway was closed in both directions after the crashes, but northbound and southbound lanes reopened around 6 a.m. Tuesday, Illinois State Police said.
The crashes involved 40 to 60 cars, along with tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Maj. Ryan Starrick said. The six people who died were all in northbound lanes, while 37 people on both sides of I-55 were taken to hospitals.
“The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” said Tom Thomas, 43, who was traveling south to St. Louis.
Starrick told reporters that it was a spring version of a “whiteout situation” typically seen in winter snowstorms. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific.”
Dairon Socarras Quintero, 32, who was driving to St. Louis to make deliveries for his custom frame company based in Elk Grove Village, said that after his truck hit the vehicle in front of him, he exited and moved to the side of the road, then returned after the chain reaction of crashes ended behind him.
Socarras Quintero said the dust continued to blow ferociously as he checked on other motorists and emergency crews arrived. He held up his backpack, caked with dust even though it was inside a closed truck cab.
Winds at the time were gusting between 35 and 45 mph (56 and 74 kph), the National Weather Service said.
“It’s very flat, very few trees,” meteorologist Chuck Schaffer said. “It’s been very dry across this area, really, for the last three weeks. The farmers are out there tilling their fields and planting. The top layer of soil is quite loose.”
Evan Anderson, 25, who was returning home to St. Louis from Chicago, said a semi turned before striking his vehicle, sparing him even more damage.
“You couldn’t even see,” Anderson said. “People tried to slow down and other people didn’t, and I just got plowed into. There were just so many cars and semitrucks with so much momentum behind them.”
Authorities set up staging areas away from the crash site to help travelers reunite with friends and relatives.
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Associated Press reporters Rick Callahan in Indianapolis and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
News releases
“UNIT: ISP Troop 8
“LOCATION: Interstate 55 near Milepost 76, north of Farmersville, Montgomery County
“DATE and TIME: May 1, 2023 at approximately 10:55 a.m.
“BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Preliminary information indicates the following occurred: ISP Troops 6 and 8 responded to the above area for multiple crashes with injuries. Interstate 55 is currently shut down in both directions from milepost 63 to milepost 80. Visibility in the area is reported to be low due to blowing dust. Traffic is urged to seek alternate routes.
“At 10:55 a.m. there was a crash on northbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. At the same time, there were numerous crashes on southbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. The crashes occurred within a two-mile stretch – from roughly Milepost 76 to Milepost 78.
“Approximately 30 commercial motor vehicles and 40 to 60 passenger cars were involved. This includes two truck-tractor semi-trailers that caught fire as a result of the crashes.
“At this time, we have reports of more than 30 people being transported to the hospital and multiple fatalities. Injuries range from minor to life-threatening and ages range from two-years-old to 80-years-old.
“Reports show there are six fatalities, all occurring in the northbound lanes. We do not have any additional information on those individuals at this time.
“The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility.
“This information is still preliminary and the ISP continues to investigate this crash. There will be no more in-person updates. Please continue to send all media inquiries to ISP.PIO.Personnel@illinois.gov or follow our social media feeds.“
Illinois State Police news release issued at 6:17 p.m. Eastern May 1, 2023
“UNIT: ISP Troop 8
“LOCATION: Interstate 55 near Milepost 76, north of Farmersville, Montgomery County
“DATE and TIME: May 1, 2023 at approximately 10:55 a.m. (Central)
“BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Preliminary information indicates the following occurred: ISP Troops 6 and 8 responded to the above area for multiple crashes with injuries. Interstate 55 is currently shut down in both directions from milepost 63 to milepost 80. Visibility in the area is reported to be low due to blowing dust. Traffic is urged to seek alternate routes.
“At 10:55 a.m. (Central) there was a crash on northbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. At the same time, there were numerous crashes on southbound Interstate 55 at Milepost 76. Approximately 20 commercial motor vehicles and 40 to 60 passenger cars were involved. This includes two truck-tractor semi-trailers that caught fire as a result of the crashes.
“At this time, we have reports of more than 30 people being transported to the hospital and multiple fatalities. The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility.
“This information is still preliminary and the ISP continues to investigate this crash. We will have more information at our next briefing at 4:30 p.m. (Central)”
Illinois State Police news release issued at 4:32 p.m. Eastern May 1, 2023