More information has become available on a two-vehicle crash that sent one person to the hospital Thursday afternoon.
Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputies and Jacksonville Fire & Rescue responded to the intersection of Old State Road and Matson Road east of Jacksonville at approximately 12:45 Thursday afternoon for a report of a two-vehicle crash with injuries.
According to a report from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, a Morgan County Highway Department single axle dump truck driven by 30-year-old Tyler Schmidt of rural Jacksonville was eastbound on Old State Road pushing loose gravel off of the pavement and onto the north shoulder with a plow.
At the same time, a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Derek L. Riley of Petersburg was also traveling eastbound on Old State Road behind the highway department vehicle. Riley reportedly was unable to see the county truck in front of him because of the gravel dust in the air.
Riley’s vehicle struck the rear driver’s side of the county truck, causing his vehicle to enter the westbound lane of traffic. His vehicle then crossed back in front of the county truck and through the south ditch before striking a grain bin at the corner of Old State Road and Matson Road.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue personnel treated Riley at the scene before he was air-lifted to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. An undisclosed amount of damage was done to the grain bin due to the crash.