EFFINGHAM CO., Ill. - A single-vehicle accident this morning is being attributed to driving while sleepy, but the driver has been charged with illegal transportation of alcohol in the wake of the crash.
Illinois State Police in District 12 said the crash took place in the eastbound lane of Interstate 70, two miles west of the city of Effingham this morning, Saturday, June 9, at 9:15 a.m.
ISP said that the preliminary investigative details indicate a blue 1998 Ford Expedition being driven by Juanita O'Bannon, 38, of Bentonville, Arkansas, was eastbound on 70 at milepost 90 when she told ISP she fell asleep. The vehicle left the south side of the roadway, striking the guardrail, rolling over and coming to a rest facing westbound.
O'Bannon and her passengers, Furman Clark, 39, and Brenda Lee Waggoner, 60, both also of Bentonville, were transported to St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.
While Clark was charged with Failure to Wear a Seatbelt and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, O'Bannon was charged with Improper Lane Usage, Illegal Transportation of Alcohol, Operating without Insurance and Driving While Suspended.