Semi Truck Driver Killed in Multiple 18 Wheeler Accident Near Morris Illinois

March 27th, 2012 |

MORRIS, IL – A semi truck driver was killed and another person injured Friday morning, March 23, in a crash involving three tractor trailers near Morris, Illinois.

Fatal tractor trailer crash involving multiple semi trucks on the eastbound I-80 at East 29th Road just west of Morris, IL on Friday, March 23, 2012.

According to Illinois State Police, the accident occurred on eastbound Interstate 80 at mile post 102 early Friday morning, just before the exit for Seneca.

morris-il-multiple-semi-truck-accident-map

Map showing location of multiple semi truck accident on eastbound I-80 just west of Morris, IL at mile marker 102 (County Highway 25).

Police said that the crash stemmed from a another crash involving three cars that had slowed traffic on the interstate and that one of the tractor trailers didn’t stop for that crash and “plowed” into traffic ahead of him, sparking a chain reaction.

The Morris Daily Herald reports:

At about 6:15 a.m. Friday, Illinois State Police received a call about a three-vehicle accident between two passenger cars and a semitrailer in the eastbound lanes on Interstate 80, near the La Salle County line, Sgt. James Powell said. The backup from the three-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 caused a second accident involving four semis.

In the first accident, the semi driver was injured, but not seriously.

Because of the backup from the first accident, a second accident occurred about a mile behind the first, Powell said.

The semi truck driver killed was identified as Charles F. Peterlin, 63, of Evergreen Park, IL.

According to a press release from state police District 17, Peterlin was driving double trailers at 6:59 a.m. on I-80 eastbound, at mile marker 102, and hit a stopped semi, which caused a chain reaction.

Peterlin hit a second semi driven by Wesley D. Beauchem, 46, of Chana, IL. Beauchem’s truck was pushed into a third truck driven by Lonnie E. Brandel, 45, of Iowa, and Brandel’s truck then hit a fourth truck driven by Jagmeet Grewal, 45, of Quebec, Canada.

The incident remains under investigation.

Truck Accident Lawyer News is a truck accident and personal injury blog that publishes up to date truck accident and truck legal news from across the United States. Illinois, due to its high population and vast highway system, has a high incident of 18 wheeler truck accidents. Metropolitan cities with a high incident of truck accidents and vehicle collision resulting in severe personal injuries and even death include Cicero and Des Plaines to name a few.