An investigation is ongoing into a fatal traffic accident that occurred around 3:42 Tuesday morning on U.S. Route 50, near the entrance to the Walmart Distribution Center, just west of Olney. According to the Illinois State Police, 25-year-old Aaron Hunt from Olney was traveling east on U.S. Route 50 when a semi-truck driven by 46-year-old Loghman Maroufi from Smyrna, Tennessee, traveling westbound, turned left onto the distribution center entrance road, into the path of Hunt’s motorcycle. Maroufi was not injured in the accident, but Hunt was pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi-truck driver was cited for failing to yield to oncoming traffic, failing to yield while turning left, and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. U.S. Route 50 was closed for nearly three hours for cleanup and accident reconstruction. The Illinois State Police were assisted at the scene by firefighters and police from Olney and Richland County.