Woman identified in fatal I-55 crash
Bystanders react to the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon on Interstate fifty five north of Pontiac.
Bystanders react to the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon on Interstate fifty five north of Pontiac.
A multiple-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon on Interstate fifty five blocks northbound traffic.
PONTIAC — A Plainfield woman was identified Friday as the victim in a chain-reaction crash Thursday on Interstate fifty five that split her car in half, involved three other vehicles and sent two other women to the hospital.
Ashley J. Borja, 20, crossed into the northbound lanes for an unknown reason about 1:44 p.m. Thursday at mile marker 201½, on Pontiac’s north side, state police said. She was a student at Bradley University in Peoria.
Her southbound Honda Accord collided with a northbound Honda Odyssey minivan that spun around as the Accord broke in half. The Accord’s driver was thrown from the car, and died at the scene, police said.
The minivan then struck a Jeep Cherokee, and the front half of the Accord hit a Volkswagen.
The minivan’s driver, Rosanne M. Tenuta, 63, and passenger, Krista Y. Tenuta, Nineteen, both of Brookfield, were extricated from the vehicle and flown to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria, where they were listed in good condition.
The driver of the Jeep, Donald J. Moore, 59, of Dwight, suffered minor injuries and was not hospitalized, police said.
The four occupants of the Volkswagen, driver Eric S. Forister, 35, and passengers John E. Luckett, 34, and Erin D. Bartlett, 36, all of St. Louis, were not injured, police said.
Northbound I-55 was closed until about six p.m., police said.
No tickets were issued. The crash remains under investigation by the state police and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department.
Kevin Barlow
Staff Writer for The Pantagraph.
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(13) comments
Why doesn’t the pantagraph suggest unbiased reporting on every news story? Why do they proceed to censor every article??
I must be missing something. What is biased about this story?
half price margs at fiesta on cinco? hmm
A youthful woman has lost her life and you guys are cracking jokes? Asking for the family.
I do wonder if this is the car I witnessed in fifty five coming out of the Chicago weaving through traffic. This was about forty five min before we witnessed the accident.
1-100 chance it was, you just described a third of the traffic on I-55.
Traveled on fifty five last week and was passed by a youthfull man in a Civic going about one hundred mph, he didn’t feel like waiting for another car to pass a semi, so he passed on the right shoulder without letting off an inch. When he passed me he was texting. I called it in, figured it’s better they stop him than have to pick up lumps of him. Didn’t see one cop on the way to Chicago. On the way back I eyed one. To and from Chicago, traffic was flying, several vehicles going 90+, and they weren’t sports cars – mini-vans, Jeeps tricked out for off-roading, petite cars with puny tires. these aren’t designed to go 90+ people. When I see the marqee that shows how many people have died in traffic accidents in Illinois, I used to miracle at how high the numbers were. After living and driving here for a few years, getting passed by morons going 10-15+ mph over the speed limit while texting, I’m astonished they aren’t higher.
I keep eyeing one trooper inbetween Normal and Towanda. Once I get N of Towanda up to Joliet it is uncommon for me be see a State Trooper. Going S from Bloomington the most common place I see them is right around Williamsville.
How exactly does a car break in half like that? I have never heard of that happening. This has to be the worse accident i can recall ever reading about! Condolences to the family and i plead for everyone involved a speedy recovery!
High speed. The S roped car bouncing across the median would weaken it then a side influence with another vehicle.
Maybe she had a seizure. That happened to a friend of mine. Had a seizure while driving and wrecked his car truly bad. My condolences to the family.
Both directions of I55 from just N of Pontiac to about where it forms back S the right lanes are in bad form. Very rough. You have to either hug the center line of the Right lane or drive in the left lane. It isn’t unusual to see people traveling at 100mph or more and it wouldn’t take much to hit one of the rough catches sight of and lose control of a vehicle.
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