EFFINGHAM CO., Ill. - Illinois State Police in District 12 Effingham are still piecing together exactly how a three-vehicle collision, caused by a passenger car but involving two semis, occurred last night.
The wreck took place in the westbound lane of Interstate 70 at milepost 89 in Effingham County on Monday, January 28, at 8:11 p.m., ISP said.
Preliminary investigative details indicate that a 2016 Chevrolet being driven by Patricia Brown, 31, of Terre Haute, Ind., struck two semis in the rear of the semi trailers for unknown reasons, and became disabled in the right lane.
Driving the trucks were Reynaldo Fruits, 46, of Moore, Oklahoma in a 2019 Peterbilt truck tractor/trailer, and Travis Mitchell, 29, of Greenville, South Carolina. With Fruits was a passenger, Robert Keith, 48, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and with Mitchell was passenger Jose Londono, 58, of Tamarac, Fla.
Brown was transported to St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham via ambulance, then airlifted to Carle Hospital in Champaign with unspecified injuries.
She has been cited for Following Too Closely and Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash.