A tragic incident occurred on Interstate 70 near Greenville earlier today when a patient, reportedly combative and in transit via Carle Ambulance, was fatally struck by a semitruck, as confirmed by Illinois State Police. The collision happened around 2:55 a.m. on the westbound lanes of the freeway, specifically near the Illinois Route 127 exit, KSDK reports.
After the ambulance stopped on the shoulder of the road due to the patient's combative behavior, the individual exited the vehicle and entered the lane of traffic, where they were hit by an oncoming truck, FOX2Now stated, noting the vehicle involved was a tractor-trailer. Following the collision the victim was transported to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead, in this incident, which led to multiple lanes being closed causing a disruption, they have since been reopened according to authorities.
The details surrounding the victim's identity or the reason for their initial transport by ambulance are not clear as the Bond County Coroner's Office has not yet released the name of the deceased; the Illinois State Police, however, are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the crash, as per a release obtained by Belleville News-Democrat.
Local traffic patterns were significantly affected as a result of the incident, with lanes being shut down to facilitate a meticulous investigation by authorities even though they were afterward reopened to resume normal traffic flow, there are no additional details available at this time regarding the truck driver or whether any charges are pending as the case continues under review by state officials, which is mandatory after such occurrences involving fatalities on public roadways.
