Interstate 64 was shut down for nearly 12 hours on Friday following two separate accidents handled by the Illinois State Police and Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse reported that a 67-year-old truck driver from South Carolina, identified as Wayne Franklin Baucom Jr., was killed late Friday afternoon when his truck collided with a slowing vehicle in front of him on eastbound I-64 near Woodlawn. Baucom became trapped in his rig and was extricated by firefighters from Ashley before being pronounced dead at the scene. The truck he crashed into was driven by a 44-year-old man from Carrigan, Texas, whose vehicle was forced into the rear of a passenger car driven by a 58-year-old woman from Marion. Fortunately, no injuries were reported for the other two drivers. Baucom’s semi was transporting approximately 200 batteries.
Later that evening, around 7:30 PM, the Illinois State Police responded to a separate three-vehicle crash with injuries in the westbound lanes near milepost 59 by Nashville. This incident sent a total of four individuals to the hospital. According to state police, an SUV driven by 38-year-old Stephen Noe of Olmstead, Kentucky, struck the rear of a van driven by 35-year-old Allyson Hudnall of New Harmony, Indiana. The force of the collision caused Hudnall’s vehicle to hit a car driven by 30-year-old Precious Greer of Alton. Noe, Hudnall, and a 10-year-old female passenger in the Hudnall van were airlifted from the scene by medical helicopter in serious condition, while Greer was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
Both lanes of I-64 reopened at 4:40 AM on Saturday, more than 12 hours after the initial crash occurred.
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