Two Illinois women were killed on Wednesday when they collided with a semi-truck just south of I-80. The mother and daughter pair were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The truck driver was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
The fatal accident occurred at the intersection of County Highway 15 and Morris Road. The women were travelling east on Morris Road when their vehicle was struck. The intersection is known to be dangerous. It was the site of an accident that killed two Morris men four years earlier, and has been the site of other fatal accidents in the past. Illinois police are gathering witness statements and working to reconstruct the incident.
The collision, which forced the semi truck into the ditch and onto the lawn of a nearby home, closed CH 15 for more than six hours on Wednesday. Investigators were looking into whether the presence of traffic control devices played a role in the collision. Morris Road is equipped with rumble strips and has a stop sign at the intersection. The concern is over why these measures have not been sufficient to prevent accidents, including Wednesday’s fatal truck accident.
No tickets have been issued and the cause of the accident is still unclear. Police, fire department, ambulance, Illinois Department of Transportation and La Salle County Highway Department officials coordinated in responding to the situation. As of yet, the truck driver’s name has not been released.
Source: The Morris Daily Herald, “Mother, daughter die in Wednesday crash,” Jo Ann Hustis, 21 Apr 2011