Two men killed in Interstate 55 accident identified by Sangamon County coroner
Two men killed in a fiery three-vehicle accident Sunday night on Interstate 55 south of Springfield have been identified.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon identified the men, two of the three drivers, as Nathan Tenneson, 29, of Ettick, Wisconsin, and Steven Hermanson, 66, of Lebanon.
According to an Illinois State Police report, the accident occurred about 8:47 p.m. when a northbound tractor-trailer driven by a 42-year-old San Juan, Texas man left the roadway, hit a guardrail and crossed the median into the southbound lanes. The vehicle became disabled across all of the southbound lanes north of Pawnee-Auburn Exit 82.
More:Illinois State Police confirm two dead in fiery crash on Interstate 55 south of Springfield
Tenneson, in a pickup truck, struck the right side of the tractor-trailer. Hermanson, driving a Ford Taurus with one passenger, also hit the right side of the tractor-trailer. All three vehicles were engulfed in flames, police said.
Tenneson was pronounced dead at the scene of thermal injuries, according to Allmon. Hermanson and his passenger, a female, were transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital. Hermanson died from blunt force injuries. No update has been given for the woman, who had life-threatening injuries.
The semi-truck driver was uninjured in the crash.
The coroner's office and Illinois State Police are continuing to investigate what led to the crash.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Two men killed in Interstate 55 accident in Springfield identified
