MARION CO., Ill. - A car-v-motorcycle crash very early this morning left the motorcycle rider dead and the other driver arrested on a charge of Reckless Homicide just outside of Salem this morning on Interstate 57.
Illinois State Police in District 12 Effingham report that the crash occurred at approximately 4:37 a.m. this morning, Thursday, July 26.
ISP said that a silver 2017 Volkswagen GTI passenger car being driven by Johnathan Trotter, 21, of Evansville, Ind., was northbound on I-57 at milepost 113 about two miles south of Salem in Marion County.
The Volkswagen at that point rear-ended an orange 1996 Harley-Davidson motorcycle being operated by Mason Wathan, 23, of Centralia. As a result, Wathan was fatally injured.
Trotter was transported to an unnamed hospital.
Interstate traffic was shut down from 4:37 a.m. until approximately 10 a.m. this morning.
Trotter was later charged with Reckless Homicide, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash and Driving While License Suspended.
There's been no explanation for the Reckless Homicide charge; that, however, seems to imply intent, so it's unknown whether the two knew each other or not.