'A terrible, terrible tragedy': High winds, dust to blame for fatal pileup
Portions of Interstate 55 south of Springfield reopened in both directions Tuesday morning after being closed much of the afternoon and evening Monday due to a series of fatal crashes.
Illinois State Police said that the closed areas of the interstate reopened around 6 a.m. after vehicles and debris from the crashes were cleared off the road. Dozens of cars and commercial vehicles were involved in the crashes, which took place around 11 a.m. Monday near mile marker 76 in Montgomery County.
The crashes were the result of blowing dust in the area stemming 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 in Springfield 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 zero in some parts.
During a press conference along I-55 Tuesday, ISP Director Brendan Kelly said that the flat nature of the road and lack of wind breaks made it easy for conditions to deteriorate like they did Monday.
"(It) caused zero visibility, complete blackout conditions," Kelly said.
He later said that investigators would attempt to ascertain exactly from where the dust was coming, with any number of factors being potentially responsible for the quick-moving dust cloud. He said that the agency wasn't going to jump to any conclusions when it came to theories that inadequate farming techniques led to the storm.
"Some of these things may be related to a period of dryness," Kelly said. "There's not as much rain as there usually has been (at this time) and we're going to try to connect as many dots as we can to see if there's anything that we can learn from that. We're not going to jump to any conclusions."
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As a result of the crashes, traffic was shut down in both directions from mile marker 63 near Zanesville in Montgomery County to mile marker 80 near Divernon in both directions in order for law enforcement to clear and investigate the crash. Kelly said that there wasn't any reason to pre-emptively shut the roads down prior to the crashes, even with the looming dust cloud.
"It is a pretty extreme thing to shut a road down," Kelly said. "We do that during blizzards (and) HazMat or circumstances like this and the parameters for shutting a road down are not always predictable in the sense that the weather's not always predictable. To this point, there's nothing to indicate that IDOT or ISP or anybody had any information that would warrant shutting a road down."
ISP said that at least 72 vehicles were involved in the crash, with 37 people being sent to area hospitals with a wide range of injuries. Late Monday night, ISP said that six people died as a result of the crashes, with each death occurring in the northbound lane.
Montgomery County Coroner Randy Leetham has already identified one victim in the crashes – Shirley Harper, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin. The identity of the other five people is being withheld pending notification of the families.
Kelly said that at least three other people had been tentatively identified by Leetham's office, with two others still unidentified. Kelly said that one person had been driving a blue Chrysler 300 and another driving a Hyundai when they were killed.
He recommended that people who had any information on the two outstanding identities contact ISP at (618) 346-3653.
To identify the victims and clear the scene, ISP received help from a wide range of government agencies, with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, Springfield Police Department, Springfield Fire Department and Chatham Fire Department among others providing their assistance. SFD Chief Brandon Blough said that his department's HazMat teams were needed to help with the cleanup, in addition to helping to extricate people trapped in their vehicles.
Kelly praised the work of the ISP troopers, the Illinois Department of Transportation and other law enforcement assigned to the scene, saying that they acted in a professional and timely manner when it came to ensuring the safety of people in the area.
"Dust storms happen, but it's something that doesn't happen every day in this part or any part of Illinois," Kelly said. "This is a series of unusual circumstances. It's simply a terrible, terrible tragedy (and) it was a terrible day in this part of the state and for the families affected by this."
State leaders have sent their condolences to the families impacted by the crashes, with U.S. 13th Congressional District Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield) saying she was "heartbroken" by the fatalities.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of these individuals and everyone who has been hospitalized with injuries," Budzinski said.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that his office was ready to assist those affected, if needed.
"(I'm) heartbroken to hear of at least six fatalities and more than 30 people being transported to four local hospitals," Durbin said. "My office is in close contact with federal, state, and local officials and stands ready to offer any assistance."
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Westchester, also provided his condolences, with praise for the first responders who acted quickly to save lives.
"My prayers go out to all those who were affected by this horrific accident," Welch said. "I send my deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones and I continue to pray for those who suffered injuries. I also want to thank our brave first responders who acted diligently to save lives and prevent further tragedy."
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 'A terrible, terrible tragedy': High winds, dust to blame for fatal pileup
