The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

Local News

Related Photos

  • Matt Huber/Commecial-News

    I74 headon fatal crash

Discussion

June 29, 2009

Head-on collision kills one

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL

DANVILLE — Traffic in both directions of Interstate 74 was at a standstill late Monday morning following a head-on collision between a pickup truck and a semi tractor-trailer.

The incident happened at about 11:15 a.m. Monday in the westbound lanes of Interstate 74 between the Gilbert Street and Bowman Avenue exit ramps.

Tilton and Lynch Fire Protection District personnel responded to the scene. The semi driver told emergency personnel he was driving west down the interstate when the four-door blue pickup truck just appeared on the roadway headed east.

The two vehicles collided, just west of the Bowman Avenue ramp, with the semi sitting across both lanes of westbound traffic. Pickup trucked sustained major front end damage and came to rest in the median near the eastbound lanes.

Lynch Fire Chief Scott Weidig said the pickup driver was pronounced dead inside the truck. Rescue personnel from both fire districts worked to cut his body out of the vehicle.

The driver, a 79-year-old Georgetown man, was not immediately identified by Vermilion County Coroner Peggy Johnson who said she had spoken to the wife of the driver. Other family had not yet been contacted by mid-afternoon Monday.

An autopsy is slated for this afternoon on the driver.

Weidig said the impact left a piece of semi in the cab of the pickup truck next to the 79-year-old driver.

A driver and a passenger in the semi were shaken up, but not injured in the accident. Weidig said the passenger, who was sleeping at the time, was thrown into the cab of the semi and almost into the windshield as a result of the head-on collision.

In addition to rescue personnel, members of the Vermilion County Haz Mat team were called in to handle about 60 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled into a storm drain located where the accident took place.

Weidig said the team was able to confine the spilled fuel to the storm drain, keeping it out of local waterways.

Illinois State Police are handling the investigation into the accident.

Text Only
Local News
  • Tropical Storm Beryl strengthens, nears U.S. coast

    Tropical Storm Beryl was wrecking some Memorial Day weekend plans on Sunday, causing shoreline campers to pack up and head inland and leading to the cancellation of some events as the storm approached the southeastern U.S.

    May 27, 2012

  • CASA seeks volunteers

    May 27, 2012

  • Classes transition online

    May 27, 2012

  • AmyandRomanSchweizer1.jpg Dad welcomes baby — while a world away

    Like most fathers, Brandun Schweizer wanted to witness his first child’s birth. There was just one problem, however — he was thousands of miles away in Afghanistan.

    May 27, 2012 2 Photos

  • Veterans ask people to pause

    Although the Memorial Day weekend is a time for picnics and pool parties, veterans’ groups hope people pause to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty, as well as others who have died.

    May 27, 2012

  • Martha Stewart learns family’s roots

    Television viewers have been treated to two series lately dealing with genealogy.

    May 27, 2012

  • Haiti touches her heart Haiti touches her heart

    Janis Ostiguy of Danville experiences many emotions each time she visits Haiti — sadness at the poverty, happiness with the children, warmth for the people and their spirit.

    May 27, 2012 3 Photos

  • Turtles return to race

    Collected turtles are being fed fruits, meat and vegetables and will be ready to go for the 48th Annual Turtle Races.

    May 27, 2012

  • Hiker’s heart is in America's Highlands

    Robert Burns, the immortal Scottish poet, once wrote, “My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here; my heart’s in the Highlands, a’chasing the wild deer; a’chasing the wild deer, and following the roe; my heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.”

    May 27, 2012

  • Posters recall Cannon’s 1880 opponent Posters recall Cannon’s 1880 opponent

    In 1980, John Mendenhall found three 1880 J. R. Scott campaign posters in a home he was restoring.

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo