A 20-year-old Salem man was killed Tuesday night when his motorcycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Illinois Route 37 and Tonti Road, just north of Salem. The impact threw the rider into a nearby field, and the crash knocked the SUV's front passenger-side tire completely off the vehicle.
According to WJBD, the motorcyclist was traveling northbound on Route 37 when he collided with an SUV heading eastbound on Tonti Road, based on initial information from the scene. Marion County Coroner Claude Howell pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene. The victim was identified as Anthony Hanshew.
Tonti Road traffic faces a stop sign at that intersection and is required to come to a complete stop and yield the right-of-way to vehicles already in or approaching the intersection on Route 37, under Section 11-904 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, according to ILGA.gov. Initial reporting indicates the SUV entered the intersection from Tonti Road.
Three in SUV Treated for Minor Injuries
Three people inside the SUV were transported to Salem Township Hospital, where they were treated for apparent minor injuries, the station's report states. United Medical Response handled the transport. The hospital broke ground in September 2025 on a $16 million renovation expanding its emergency department to eight dedicated treatment beds, part of ongoing upgrades to surgical facilities in the area.
The Salem Fire Protection District assisted victims at the scene, while firefighters from the neighboring Kinmundy-Alma Fire Protection District supplied portable lighting so crews could work the nighttime crash site.
Hours-Long Closure for Cleanup and Reconstruction
The crash was reported at 8:27 pm Tuesday. Both Route 37 and Tonti Road were shut down for cleanup and accident reconstruction, with the closures stretching past 1 am Wednesday before roads reopened. An Illinois State Police accident reconstructionist investigated the crash.
Illinois remains one of only three states without a motorcycle helmet law for riders of any age, though state law under Section 11-1404 still requires operators and passengers to wear protective eyewear unless their motorcycle has a windscreen that rises above the rider’s eyes, according to Salvi & Maher, LLP. Whether the rider was wearing a helmet has not been disclosed.
The Broader Toll of Motorcycle Crashes
Motorcycle crashes carry an outsized toll across the state. Motorcycle collisions made up just 1.1% of all Illinois traffic crashes in 2024 but accounted for 12.2% of traffic fatalities that year — 144 rider deaths — per statistics compiled by Phillips Law Offices.
Nationally, motorcycle riders face a fatality rate per vehicle mile that is roughly 28 times higher than passenger car occupants, accounting for about 16% of all U.S. traffic deaths despite representing less than 3% of registered vehicles, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Illinois State Police reported in July 2025 that 44 motorcyclists had already died on state roads in the first half of that year.
Open questions remain in Tuesday's crash, including whether any citations or charges will be filed against the SUV driver, and whether speed, sightlines, or lighting played a role in the nighttime collision.
