Illinois State Police are warning motorists to take caution during extreme weather conditions after “excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields” caused a deadly, 72-car pile up on Interstate 55 in south central Illinois.
“In Illinois and in every state you have to drive at a pace that is safe for conditions,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said during a press conference Tuesday. “And if you get a condition where it’s blackout, you can’t see anything.”
According to officials, 72 vehicles were involved in the pile-up, which took place Monday morning on two mile stretch of I-55. The number of vehicles involved, however, is likely higher given that some involved were able drive away from the scene.
Six people were killed in the crash and a total of 37 others were transported to area hospitals, the ISP said, with injuries range from minor to life-threatening, and ages span from 2 to 80 years old.
Authorities have publicly named one of the six victims and tentatively identified three others, though those names have not yet been released.
During Tuesday’s update, Kelly noted the situation was an “unusual circumstance.”
“Certainly dust storms happen, but it is not something that happens every day here in this part of Illinois or in any part of Illinois,” he said. “So this is very serious, unusual circumstances. I know meteorologists and the National Weather Service have certainly put out their observations and their conclusions about what led to these circumstances and it’s simply a terrible, terrible tragedy.”
Illinois State Police on Monday said the cause of the crash was “excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility.” According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the dust in the air could be caused by tilling, which is common during this time of year.
According to officials, a criminal investigation is also underway.
“Obviously there’s a lot of traffic crashes can be avoided,” Kelly said Tuesday. “This seemed to happen very suddenly very fast.”
If motorists do find themselves in similar conditions, ISP cautions drivers to “slow down” and exit the roadway.
“The safest speed is, like no speed, basically,” he said. “And what we would tell people if they find themselves suddenly in this condition — whether it’s dust, or whether it’s weather or it’s rain, or tornado — whatever the case may be, slow down. That is always the best advice.”
“Slow down,” Kelly repeated. “If you can safely get off the interstate, do so. Whatever you do, do not just stop right in the middle of the interstate. Don’t just pump the brakes and come to a halt. Try to get off the roadway in any way that you can safely. But but that’s what we’re looking at in terms of determining what happened here — speed and the movement of objects and how objects strike one another.”
The large crash occurred around 11 a.m. Monday near milepost 76 in Montgomery County. According to Illinois State Police, it initially happened in the northbound lanes of the highly trafficked interstate, but crashes then followed in the southbound lanes.
At least two semi-trucks caught fire during the pile-up.
Images and video from the scene show dozens of cars and semi-trucks piled up across the highway, with thick clouds of dust covering the road.
Divernon’s mayor said that while dust storms aren’t unheard of in the area, the situation has never escalated to the level seen Monday.
“Two or three weeks ago, we had a dust storm on Route 104 and it caused some accidents,” Divernon Mayor Jim Copelin told NBC 5 Tuesday. “But nothing of this magnitude. This is beyond unreal.”
Overnight, I-55 between Divernon and Farmersville in Illinois remained closed as cleanup efforts to remove debris and dozens of vehicles remained underway. However, police at 6 a.m. Tuesday said that the highway’s northbound and southbound lanes near milepost 76 had reopened.
“This has happened before in various parts of the state of the Illinois, where unfortunately due to excessive high winds, that once the farmers have turned the field, the topsoil or the dirt that’s on top there gets loose,” Illinois State Police Major Ryan Starrick said. “It’s extremely dry, and due to the excessive winds of the area, will blow across certain roadways.”
EXPLAINER: What Causes a Dust Storm And How Often Do They Occur?
Kelly said Tuesday that an investigation into the crash remained ongoing and it was not immediately clear if any citations would be issued.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/Kqa3lh7
No comments:
Post a Comment