Three killed, seven injured in two car crashes on I-57

Three people were killed and seven were injured in two car crashes on I-57 near Matoon.

One accident occurred before 3 p.m. when a van was rear ended by a semitrailer truck on Interstate 57. A 67-year-old van passenger was transported to Carle Foundation Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The 56-year-old man was driving a semi-truck when he rear-ended a pickup truck when traffic began to slow. The pickup truck was pushed into the center median. The semi-truck then continued to driver and he struck a van. The van was also sent to the center median.

The truck continued until it hit the rear of a semi-truck that caused his vehicle to go off of the side of the road. The truck then flipped onto its side and caught fire.

There was also a fatality in the earlier accident that was between two semi-trailers. Both accident caused traffic on I-57 to rerouted for hours.

Truck drivers errors can cause serious accident that endanger all on the roadway. Our thoughts are with the victims in both accidents.