Two women were killed and a third person was injured early Monday after a wrong-way driver slammed into another vehicle on Interstate 55 in Sangamon County. The collision happened around 1 a.m. in the southbound lanes near milepost 87.5, close to East Lake Shore Drive. Emergency crews pronounced the drivers of both cars dead at the scene, and troopers shut down southbound I-55 for several hours while they investigated and cleared the wreckage.
How troopers say the crash unfolded
According to Illinois State Police, a vehicle heading north in the southbound lanes of I-55 hit another car head-on at about 1 a.m., causing the deadly crash. Troopers responded to the scene, where the drivers of both vehicles were pronounced dead, as reported by WCIA.
Victims identified, autopsies scheduled
The Sangamon County Coroner identified the two drivers as a 42-year-old woman from Wentzville, Missouri, and a 51-year-old woman from Girard, Illinois. Their names are being withheld until relatives are notified. Autopsies were scheduled for Monday, according to the coroner's office, as reported by WAND.
Passenger, road impacts and investigation
A passenger from one of the vehicles was taken to an area hospital with injuries and is listed in an unknown condition, officials said. Southbound I-55 reopened around 6 a.m. after being closed for about five hours, and the Sangamon County Coroner and Illinois State Police are continuing their investigation, per WCIA.
What the coroner's office says about autopsies
The Sangamon County Coroner's office notes that autopsies and toxicology testing are standard parts of medico-legal death investigations and can take several days to complete. The office states that those tests, along with the Illinois State Police investigation, will guide officials in determining the cause and manner of death, according to the county coroner's website Sangamon County Coroner.
