Dust storm causes massive pileup on Interstate 55; at least six dead according to ISP

The northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 55 reopened to traffic at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday after Illinois State Police confirmed at least six people died in a crash involving dozens of passenger vehicles and near two dozen semi-trailers on Interstate 55 Monday morning.

ISP said the interstate in both directions was expected to be shut down through at least Tuesday afternoon as officials continue to investigate and clear vehicles, but was able to open the roads for motorists early.

According to officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the crash, which occurred at 10:55 a.m. and started near milepost 76 in Montgomery County about 20 miles south of Springfield, was caused by high winds and limited visibility.

More: Familiar names Gilmore, Iams taking their places on District 186 school board

The blowing dust in the area stemmed from farm fields being plowed in preparation for the spring planting season. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said that winds reached as high as 54 mph at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport Monday afternoon, with gusts ranging between 35-45 mph helping to kick up the dust that caused visibility in the affected areas to be reduced to a quarter-mile in some parts.

The six people who died as a result of the crash were traveling in the northbound lanes, police said. One of the deceased has been identified as 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, WI.

"The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is working diligently to identify the other five individuals and notify their families," a ISP release states. "Their identities haven't been released."

The crashes, involving 40 to 60 passenger cars and around 30 semi-trailers, happened over a two-mile stretch of the interstate. Winds whipped up to 45 MPH in the area, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

More than 30 people had to be transported to area hospitals, confirmed Illinois State Police Major Ryan Starrick, with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.

Starrick said at least two semi-trailers caught fire in the crashes.

Video of the pileup posted on social media show the area covered in dust with dozens of vehicles, including a number of tractor trailers on the side of the road.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency said 10 helicopters were requested to the scene and buses from Panhandle School District were picking up stranded motorists.

Kevin Schott, director of the Montgomery county EMA, said the biggest challenge while responding to the scene was trying to get to victims in a rapid manner.

“Multiple vehicles were involved, some were on fire so we had a vehicle fire extinguished and we had to search every vehicle whether they were involved in the accident or just pulled over, to check for injuries,” he said. “We tried getting them out rapidly and to the hospital for professional care.”

The Auburn Travel Center in Divernon was established as a reunification spot for travelers.

The Springfield Fire Department sent several trucks and engines to the scene via a mutual aid call, Chief Brandon Blough confirmed and a Hazardous Materials Team from SFD was dealing with a tanker fire, doing fire suppression and damming and docking of hazardous material run-off.

The team was also fighting a fire in the back of a semi-trailer as Blough said the fire involved power tool batteries. About 20 crew members had been working the scene, Blough said.

Chatham fire crews were also on the scene.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said deputies were assisting ISP on detours off the interstate in the southern part of the county as there were a number of smaller crashes related to the diverted traffic.

Acting Springfield Police Chief Joshua Stuenkel said the department also offered to send officers to the scene.

State police said the main priority right now is recovering the vehicles.

"We’re continuing to work the crash investigation and we have many days ahead of us for our traffic crash reconstruction unit to process the scene and get all of the vehicles removed. Our main priority right now is to recover the vehicles and have IDOT assess the roadway to make sure it's safe."

A total of 30 victims were brought into HSHS hospitals, including HSHS St. John's, said spokeswoman Jennifer Snopko.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: I55 accident: Dust storm crashes cause multiple Fatalities in Divernon