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Nearby Interstate 57 was shut down until 10:30 p.m. due to whiteout
conditions and the number of accidents that were occurring.
A stretch of Interstate 55 through northern Logan County was shut
down for four hours.
Terry Storer, deputy director of the Logan County Emergency
Management Agency, said that whiteout conditions creating only
one-eighth-mile visibilities probably led to most of the vehicle
accidents, which included a multi-vehicle incident between
Williamsville and Elkhart.
This event began just before noon and grew to a 20-vehicle pileup
that included a snowplow, an ambulance, a rescue vehicle and a fire
vehicle. A backup formed on I-55 southbound lanes, reaching north of
Broadwell, making it difficult for additional later rescue vehicles
to get to the scene.
Several people were taken to hospitals with injuries.
The noon hour events drew nearly all of Logan County's accident
response resources, including Logan County's sheriff's personnel,
EMA, paramedics, rural fire departments and rescue squads.
Mutual aid was called. Assistance came from Sangamon County -- a
transport bus took victims to the Williamsville Community Center to
keep warm and safe.
Firefighting mutual aid came from Fancy Prairie, Williamsville
and Sherman fire departments. Springfield's hazmat team was also
present in case of need to apply foam.
In a brief scenario with estimated times:
7 a.m. -- Accidents on I-55 begin.
11 a.m. -- An ambulance is called for a man having chest pains
following a single-vehicle accident in the country south of Elkhart
at 200th Street and 700th Avenue.
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Reports of accidents or vehicles
sliding off the interstate escalate from near Williamsville to
Atlanta, including at mile markers 109, 115, 135 and 138.
11:15 a.m. -- State trooper with passenger in the back seat is
rear-ended on I-55.
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Accident with
injuries at mile marker 115.
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Ambulance with
victim and passenger is rear-ended and ditched.
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Woman in Lincoln who fell on ice needs
ambulance transport.
11:48 -- Multiple vehicles around a snowplow on I-55 collide.
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Semitrailer off
the highway.
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Back of truck in
pileup catches fire.
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Patient who was in
ambulance accident and wife walk up a hill to a home and call in
to report their location.
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All ambulances out
and all shifts called in for duty.
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Few county
response resources remain available.
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Multi-agency
mutual aid response called.
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All ambulances in
service when another multiple-vehicle accident with injuries is
reported north of Lincoln on I-55 at mile marker 135.
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Ambulance leaving
accident at mile marker 138 responds to report at mile marker
135.
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OnStar reports a
two-vehicle accident with air bags deployed on U.S. Route 136
east of Emden.
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Middletown Rescue
responds to Route 136 accident.
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Whiteout conditions slow all travel and
searching. Many accidents are difficult to find due to reduced
visibilities.
Noon -- Illinois Department of Transportation shuts down all
lanes on Logan County portion of I-55 north of Williamsville.
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Accident on Route
136 cannot be found.
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Multiple rural
fire departments are called to bring tankers to accident fire
scene.
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Route 136 accident location report is
modified to three miles east of San Jose.
3:30 p.m. -- Ambulance is called to go to the home where the man
who was in earlier crashes had walked to. He is having chest pain.
Order was primarily restored by about 4 p.m., with more normal
levels of cold, snowy weather incidents continuing through the
evening.
All told and calculated, the events resulted in no
life-threatening injures but with several people taken to
Springfield and Lincoln hospitals. Due to the close proximity of
adjacent vehicles, the vehicle fire resulted in the total loss of
four vehicles.
Storer reflected: "We came through it much better than it could
have been. Now the goal is to just to keep warm."
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital has its doors open as a warming
center if needed. Some fire departments would also be open. If
people should have a need, give them a call before going there.
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