TROY — A fatal traffic crash on Interstate 70 in Madison County early Friday morning, Oct. 18, 2024, has left one person dead and prompted a significant response from law enforcement.
The Illinois State Police (ISP) Troop 8 reported that the incident occurred at approximately 3:21 a.m. near Old Staunton Road, at mile marker 18.2.
A preliminary investigation revealed that two separate crashes took place in quick succession.
ISP said the first crash involved a Volkswagen Jetta, which for reasons still under investigation, left the roadway and struck the guardrail, becoming disabled in the left lane. Shortly thereafter, a truck tractor semi-trailer traveling in the same lane was unable to stop in time and collided with the Jetta.
The driver of the Jetta was transported to an area hospital, where they were pronounced deceased. As a result of the crashes, all eastbound lanes of I-70 and the southbound ramp from I-55 to I-70 were closed while officers conducted their investigation. The roadways were reopened at approximately 7:54 a.m.
As of now, no further information has been released regarding the identities of those involved or the cause of the initial crash.
