Aug 27, 2008 11:49 am US/Central
2 Die In 3-Vehicle Crash On Interstate 80
Pickup Truck, Semi, Car Involved in Crash Near Morris
GRUNDY COUNTY, Ill. (STNG) ―
Two men died Tuesday night in a three-vehicle crash in Grundy County just east of Morris, police said.
Just after 6 p.m., Dennis Smith, 35, of Joliet, was driving a Toyota pickup eastbound on I-80 near mile-marker 113 1/2 when for an unknown reason the truck left the roadway, crossed the median and entered the westbound lanes, according to a release from Illinois State Police said.
The Toyota then sideswiped the back end of a semi truck driven by James Michon, 36, of Warren, Mich., and crashed head-on into a Pontiac driven by Raymond Koch, 57, of LaSalle, Ill.
Inside the Toyota was a female passenger who was taken to Morris Hospital in an unknown condition, according to ISP Joliet District Sgt. John Rattigan. There were no passengers in the Pontiac.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Koch was extricated from his car and airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he later died, Rattigan said. Michon was not injured, according to the release.
Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, and there is no indication alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash, Rattigan said.
The speed limit is 65 mph on I-80, Rattigan said.
State Police crash reconstructionists continue to investigate the crash Wednesday morning.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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