A business van burst into flames early Wednesday morning after striking a semitrailer entering southbound Interstate 55 near the Homestead Rest Area in Madison County, killing the van's driver. The semitrailer driver walked away without injuries, according to Illinois State Police.
The crash happened at about 6:08 a.m. near Milepost 28, where the semitrailer was entering I-55 from the southbound rest area, according to theintelligencer.com. The van struck the trailer and became fully engulfed in fire, and the driver died from injuries suffered in the crash. As reported by STLtoday.com, a preliminary investigation found the semitrailer's driver was not hurt.
Southbound Lanes Shut Down for Hours
All southbound lanes of I-55 were closed at about 6:22 a.m. so investigators could work the scene, per the same account from the Intelligencer. The lanes reopened around 10:25 a.m., and traffic was diverted onto Illinois 140 during the closure.
Illinois State Police have not released the names of those involved in the crash, pending the ongoing investigation, STLtoday.com reported. No further details about the van driver or the circumstances that led to the collision have been made public.
A Previous I-55 Rest-Stop Fatality
In February 2025, a man was killed at an I-55 rest stop, according to riverbender.com.
Madison County's stretch of I-55 has also seen other serious wrecks in recent weeks. On Sept. 29, Illinois State Police closed northbound I-55 at Milepost 35 near Livingston after a crash involving a recreational vehicle and a truck tractor-semitrailer, according to timestribunenews.com. One occupant was airlifted to a regional hospital in that incident, and northbound lanes were shut down with one lane reopening around 2:45 p.m., while southbound lanes were briefly closed for a helicopter landing and reopened at about 1:51 p.m.
Wednesday's crash remains under investigation by Illinois State Police, and no additional information about the cause of the collision has been released.
