A major pile-up involving at least 40 vehicles brought Interstate 70 in downstate Illinois to a standstill on Sunday afternoon. The Illinois State Police (ISP) reported that the multi-vehicle accident occurred close to the town of Casey, near milepost 124 in Cumberland County. "Snow and ice played part in a chain-reaction crash," according to WGN-TV.
ISP divulged that the highway was closed for several hours while first responders, alongside local agencies, feverishly worked to clear the scene. They managed to quickly remove some vehicles, which were subsequently towed. To accommodate disrupted travels, vehicles were diverted off at U.S. Route 40, as per an ISP announcement made on social media at around 3:03 p.m. The interstate eventually resumed normal flow at about 3:08 a.m. on Monday, only revealed by ISP after the fact. Remarkably, amidst this vast entanglement of metal and machine, there was a report of only one injury, as reported by WGN-TV.
Meanwhile, the conditions on I-70's counterpart in the north, Interstate 55, further descended into chaos as state police confirmed the closure of its northbound lanes near Lincoln at milepost 124 around 5:15 p.m. This announcement complemented warnings from the Illinois Department of Transportation about the deteriorating road conditions across central and southern Illinois regions. These areas, particularly south of the I-72 corridor, are expected to continue grappling with severe winter weather, including heavy snow and forceful winds responsible for significant accumulations of snowfall.
As per NBC Chicago, the authorities continue to urge drivers to remain vigilant and to avoid unnecessary travel as the investigations into the crashes are still ongoing.
