A van carrying six Belleville West High School students and two adults crashed and caught fire Wednesday morning in Cahokia Heights.
The crash was reported by STLtoday.com, which reported that the van crashed and caught fire Wednesday morning.
Investigators Weigh Whether Another Vehicle Was Involved
Investigators Plan Accident-Reconstruction Analysis Illinois State Police will conduct an accident-reconstruction analysis, the outlet's report notes, a step that mirrors how investigators handled a separate, unrelated fatal crash earlier this year.
A June 24 crash involving an SUV and a pickup truck towing a trailer killed 66-year-old Waterloo resident Michael A. Kuhlmann and injured six others, according to bnd.com. Officers responded to that crash at 11:41 a.m., and Kuhlmann was pronounced dead in the emergency room of Memorial Hospital roughly an hour later, the outlet reported. The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit assisted Cahokia Heights police in that investigation, according to metroeaststar.com.
School District Says It Is Cooperating With Investigators
A Belleville West High School District representative told the Post-Dispatch the district was aware of Wednesday's crash and was cooperating with authorities. The district is responsible for notifying parents of those involved, per the same reporting.
Details about the identities and conditions of those injured, along with the exact circumstances that caused the van to catch fire, had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon. Both Illinois State Police and Cahokia Heights police were continuing to piece together what led up to the crash.
