A six-car crash just north of Springfield yesterday afternoon sent multiple people to the hospital with serious injuries.
According to reports from Illinois State Police District 9, the multiple-vehicle accident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. yesterday near milepost 102 on northbound Interstate 55 traffic between Springfield and Sherman.
The six vehicles involved included: a White 2014 Peterbilt Semi with a box trailer driven by 64-year old Jimmie Cox, of Park Hills, Missouri; a Black 2017 Kia Sedona driven by an unidentified man out of Huntley, Illinois; a Gold 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, with 48-year old Julie Swanson of Des Plaines behind the wheel; a fourth driver was 27-year old Pekin resident Colton Stoneburner, who was driving a Red 1997 Buick Park Avenue; also involved in the crash was a Green 2018 Volvo semi with a box trailer driven by 57-year old Jimmie Taylor, of Elba, Alabama, and a Black 2001 Chevy Cavalier driven by 21-year old Tyler Parnell of Springfield.
Each of the four vehicles not classified as semis contained at least one passenger. The aforementioned, unidentified 47-year old man out of Huntley, Illinois, along with four juveniles and one adult female occupied the Black 2017 Kia Sedona. A male and female adult, plus another juvenile were traveling along with the driver Swanson in the Gold 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. Stoneburner’s 1997 Buick contained he, plus one other female adult and two juveniles, and Parnell’s 2001 Chevy Cavalier contained one juvenile and one adult female.
Reports say that Cox was traveling northbound in the White 2014 Peterbilt Semi near milepost 102 when the crash occurred.. At the time of the crash, traffic on I-55 was backed up and stopped due to a separate crash that had occurred previously yesterday afternoon. Authorities say Cox failed to stop his semi, striking the rear of the 2017 Kia Sedona, which was then pushed into the Chevy Traverse, ’97 Buick and 2018 Volvo semi in the left lane. Reports say that Cox then swerved right trying to avoid other vehicles in traffic, eventually striking the rear of Parnell’s Chevy Cavalier before coming to a stop on the right-hand shoulder.
State Police say that multiple occupants were transported by several ambulances to various hospitals around the area for treatment of serious injuries.
The medical condition of those injured remains unknown at this time, and the crash remains under investigation by Illinois State Police.