A Carrollton woman has died after a two-car head-on collision in Greene County yesterday that also left five others injured.
According to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, who initially responded to the scene, the accident happened about a 8:45 a.m. on Interstate 67 near the Macoupin Creek bridge.
According to Illinois State Police, who were called in by Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen, authorities arrived to find severe damage to both a 2003 Dodge Stratus and a 2006 Chevrolet Impala involved in the head-on collision, with the driver and a passenger in the Dodge trapped inside. They were extricated by Carrollton Fire and Rescue Department personnel. The driver of the Dodge, 47 year old Mary Griffith of Carrollton, was airlifted by Survival Flight to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis in critical condition, and she was later pronounced deceased as a result of her injuries at the hospital, according to Illinois State Police.
Three passengers in her car — 19 year old Shyanne Griffith of Carrollton, as well as an 11-year-old female juvenile from Carrollton and a 1-year-old infant girl from Jerseyville — were also injured. Shyanne Griffith was taken to Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital in Carrollton and the two juveniles were taken to Jersey Community Hospital in Jerseyville, according to police reports.
The driver of the Impala, 26 year old Bryce Dooley of Decatur, was taken to Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital. The one passenger in the Impala, 25 year old Hailey Taylor of Pana, was going to be airlifted to Memorial Hospital in Springfield, but weather conditions prevented it, and she was taken to Memorial via the Greene County Ambulance Service.
ISP Zone 6 officers are still investigating the crash, which resulted in the road being closed for about five hours. Initial reports from the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit reveal that Dooley was driving north when his Impala crossed the center line and into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons and collided with Mary Griffith’s southbound vehicle head-on.