Eighth person dies from injuries in I-55 crash caused by dust storm near Springfield
An eighth person has died from injuries suffered when a May 1 dust storm led to a massive multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 in central Illinois.
Ruth Rau, 81, of Sorento, Illinois, died Tuesday at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield from multiple blunt force injuries, according to a release from Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon’s office.
Rau had been a passenger in one of the 72 vehicles involved in the series of crashes that killed seven others and injured 37.
Authorities previously identified the victims as: Joseph Bates, 73, and Donna Bates, 71, of Crystal Lake; Michael Zinchuk, 55, and Amy Zinchuk, 54, of Champaign: Shirley Harper, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin; Otto Medina-Salazar, 58, of Carthage, Missouri; and Earl LeGrand, 64, of Florissant, Missouri.
The crashes happened shortly before 11 a.m. in both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-55, about 20 miles south of Springfield. Police believe they were triggered by a blinding dust storm caused by high winds that picked up soil from newly planted farm fields. Witnesses and first responders described visibility similar to “whiteout” conditions typically encountered in snow storms.
Police shut down the interstate for hours as firefighters and paramedics battled the dust storm to reach injured and frightened motorists along the roughly 2-mile-long crash site. At least two tractor-trailers caught fire in the northbound lanes, leaving a patch of charred pavement and grass still visible days later.
