Six dead on I-55 after 'dust storm' causes large crash in downstate Illinois

By Fox 32 Digital Staff and Associated Press
Published May 1, 2023 1:40PM

`Multiple fatalities’ on I-55 after dust storm causes large crash in downstate Illinois

A windstorm in south-central Illinois kicked up clouds of dust Monday, causing numerous crashes, pileups and "multiple fatalities" on Interstate 55, police said.

CHICAGO - A windstorm in south-central Illinois kicked up clouds of dust on Monday, causing numerous crashes, pileups and "multiple fatalities" on Interstate 55, police said.

The crashes occurred around 10:55 a.m. and involved 30 commercial motor vehicles and 40 to 60 passenger cars, including two truck-tractor semi-trailers that caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said. The highway was shut down in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

"The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility," Starrick said at a news conference.

The crashes occurred within a two-mile stretch, from Milepost 76 to 78.

Starrick reported that six people were killed – all in the northbound lanes, and more than 30 people were transported to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening. Ages of the victims ranged from 2-years-old to 80.

The crashes forced emergency officials to close a 30-mile stretch of I-55.