5 dead, 5 hurt in 2 crashes on I-55: cops

Five people were killed and five were injured in two semitruck crashes that happened minutes apart Monday afternoon on Interstate 55 near southwest suburban Channahon, Illinois State Police said.

A semitruck driver was speeding northbound about 2:15 p.m. into a construction zone on I-55 near Arsenal Road before abruptly changing lanes, causing a chain-reaction crash involving two cars and a van, State Police said. Four women were killed in the crash. State Police had not released the names of those killed as of late Monday night.

In addition, four people were injured, with one airlifted to a hospital, police said. They said the cars and the van were stopped in the construction zone when they were struck by the semitruck.

Sixteen minutes after the first crash, a rear-end collision involving two semitrucks in the southbound lanes of I-55 at U.S. 6 sent both drivers to the hospital with what appeared at first to be minor injuries, but one of the drivers died, police said.

At a news conference, State Police Cmdr. Randy Ness said police think the semitruck in the first crash was speeding in excess of 55 mph through the construction zone based on eyewitness accounts as well as the preliminary investigation by State Police.

The driver was taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing but was not in police custody Monday night, he said.

I-55 was reopened shortly after 9 p.m. and was expected to be open for rush hour traffic Tuesday, Ness said.