Police say the driver of a tractor trailer “went to pick up his tea,” leading to a multivehicle pileup that shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 55 on Friday afternoon.
The accident occurred around 2:15 p.m., on Interstate 55, at Route 143 near Edwardsville, Illinois.
Illinois State Police say that the chain reaction crash occurred in a construction zone and spanned a quarter mile of the highway.
Traffic is at a dead stop on I-55, reportedly up to five miles from the scene of the crash. pic.twitter.com/mxJjSUl20I
— Elizabeth Donald (@BNDedonald) December 15, 2017
According to the Belleville News-Democrat:
A semi driver “looked down to pick up his tea” and hit a vehicle as they were approaching a construction zone, said Calvin Dye Jr., Illinois State Police spokesman. He said it led to a “chain reaction” where some of the nine vehicles were slowing from highway speed as it approached the construction zone. Three people were seriously injured and airlifted to St. Louis hospitals with life-threatening injuries, Dye said. Seven others were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The wreck is still under investigation and as of 2:35 p.m. officials had completely shut down all northbound lanes on I-55 between exit 23 and exit 30, backing traffic up for miles with no estimated time of reopening.
