At Least Six Killed in Crash on I-55 During Sudden Dust Storm – Latest

A windstorm in central Illinois today raised dangerous clouds of blinding dust from farm fields, causing numerous crashes that killed at least six people on Interstate 55, police said.

The late-morning crashes involved between 40 and 60 cars and several tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said.

He said at least six people were killed, all in the northbound lanes, and more than 30 people on both sides of I-55 were transported to hospitals with injuries.

“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. I-55 was closed in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles away. north of St Louis, and probably won’t reopen until tomorrow.

Starrick told reporters it was a spring version of a “fade situation” typically seen in winter snowstorms. Governor JB Pritzker described the scene as “horrifying.”

“The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from agricultural fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility,” Starrick said.

Representative Nikki Budzinski took to Twitter to express her condolences for the loss of life in a shocking incident.

The senior police official expressed his condolences to the aggrieved families.

“My heart goes out to the families,” said Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick Starrick.

“My heart goes out to anyone who has been involved in this particular situation. It seems that due to poor visibility, high winds, it all came together, unfortunately, on this particular stretch of I-55.

“My heart goes out to them.”

The interstate will remain closed until tomorrow while crews work to remove vehicles from the crash site.

While the collision initially occurred in the northbound lanes of I-55, it soon followed in the southbound lanes with two trucks catching fire, NBC News reported.

One of the six people who died in the crash following a windstorm in central Illinois was identified as Shirley Harley, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin, authorities said.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is working to identify the other five and notify their families.

Kevin Schott, director of emergency services in Montgomery County, said it was a “very difficult scene” and “very difficult to train for.”

“We had to search all the vehicles, whether they were involved in the accident or just stopped, to check for any injuries,” he said, adding that people were “visibly, understandably upset”.

Authorities set up staging areas away from the crash site to help travelers reunite with friends and family.

Evan Anderson, 25, who was returning home to St. Louis from Chicago, said a semi-truck spun before hitting his vehicle, saving it from further damage. “You couldn’t even see it,” Anderson said.

“People tried to slow down and other people didn’t, and they hit me. There were so many cars and semi-trucks with so much momentum behind them.”

Dairon Socarras Quintero, 32, who was driving to St. Louis to make deliveries for his Elk Grove Village-based custom framing company, said after his truck collided with the vehicle in front of him, he got out and moved to to the side of the road to ensure his safety, then returned after the chain reaction of crashes ended behind him.

Socarras Quintero said the dust continued to blow fiercely as he checked other motorists and emergency personnel arrived. He lifted his backpack, which was covered in dust even though it was inside the cab of a closed truck.

Winds at the time were gusting between 35 mph (56 kph) and 45 mph (74 kph), the National Weather Service said.

A massive dust storm caused several vehicle crashes on Interstate 55 south of Springfield, Illinois, leading to multiple deaths, according to police.

The multiple accidents occurred Monday (May 1) at milepost 76 of I-55, both northbound and southbound, Illinois State Police said in a news conference posted on Facebook.

Illinois State Police said I-55 I-55 is closed from milepost 52 to milepost 80 in both directions while they work on “a major crash.”

They urged motorists to take an alternate route as traffic was diverting onto the side street.

Ariana Baio is following the details for the independent.

A dust storm in central Illinois has caused “numerous accidents” along I-55, according to state officials.

Images from the scene showed clouds of smoke and numerous burned-out cars.