A crash involving multiple fatalities closed westbound Interstate 74 at mile marker 41 near Galesburg, Illinois.
The wreck was reported early Wednesday afternoon, May 13, 2015. Initial information from police indicated two semis and three passenger vehicles were involved, with only the driver occupying each of the five involved vehicles.
A tractor-trailer failed to slow down as the other traffic slowed to a stop because of construction in that area of I-74 according to Illinois State Trooper Jason Wilson. The tractor trailer rear-ended a white Mazda passenger vehicle, starting a chain-reaction crash involving a Toyota Camry, a Chevrolet Equinox and another tractor-trailer.
Two fatalities were confirmed. The driver of the Mazda, 40-year-old Ryan A. Love from Peoria, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, and the driver of the Camry, 33-year-old Timothy J. Feary from Millidgeville, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
The driver of the semi that reportedly caused the crash, and the driver of the Equinox, were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the second tractor-trailer was not hurt.
Westbound I-74 traffic was detoured, to take U.S. 34 west to U.S. 150 north, then east on Illinois 17 to continue on westbound I-74.
Illinois State Police confirmed that all lanes were reopened just after 5:30 p.m.
The names of the drivers involved were withheld by police pending proper notification to their families.