Early Wednesday morning, tragedy struck on I-57 in Calumet Park as three people were killed and at least five others were injured in a sequence of multi-vehicle accidents, as reported by NBC Chicago. Illinois State Police detailed that the initial accident, which involved three vehicles, took place shortly after midnight, followed by a secondary collision in which a separate vehicle struck three individuals who were standing outside their cars at the scene of the first crash.
As a result of the incidents, all northbound lanes of I-57 were closed down at 119th Street, leading to significant traffic delays during the early rush hour, with backups extending to West Pullman, Blue Island, Posen, and beyond. "It's locking you in as you come in from the south suburbs," Kye Martin, a traffic reporter for NBC 5, said. The road remained closed until about 8 a.m., impacting the morning commute for hours.
The consequences of the accidents were dire, with the three struck individuals being pronounced dead at the scene. The five injured people were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that were described as non-life-threatening. The Illinois State Police have not yet released the identities of the deceased, nor have they speculated on whether weather conditions may have played a role in the crashes.
Offering a personal perspective on the event, Arthur Thomas explained to WGN-TV about the harrowing call he received from his daughter, a survivor of the accident. “My daughter called me and told me that somebody had hit her, and she had tried to chase them down, and they ran her off the road,” Thomas recounted. “So he hit her in the rear … and she tried to catch him, and he ran her off the road.”
Cleanup at the crash site continued into the morning with the presence of firefighters and tow trucks, with the thoroughfare eventually reopening around 8 a.m. Authorities remain at the scene as the investigation into the precise cause of the accidents is ongoing. Both news sources promise further updates as more information becomes available to the public.
