COLONA, Ill. — A Quad City area crash leaves two semis on fire and one person injured.
It happened on Interstate 80 in the Colona area around 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.
Illinois State Police said one truck rear-ended the other before causing both to catch fire and leave debris scattered across the highway.
"I was driving on the right side and he was on the left side" said Jose Guzman, 66, one of the drivers involved in the accident. "Then, I don't know why, but he was up against me. I saw from my rear-view mirror that he was coming hard."
One of the drivers, a 36-year-old man was seriously injured and airlifted to a hospital after being burnt during the crash. Guzman, the other driver, was not hurt. A third vehicle, with 12 and 5-year-old girls inside, was hit by debris while passing by the crash, but no one was injured.
The highway was shut down around nine hours while crews cleaned up the scene. Debris covered the lanes as Guzman's truck-load of apples fell onto the interstate. It's unclear what the other truck was carrying.
During the height of the scene, Guzman noticed that his vehicle was in flames alongside the other driver's truck and wanted to make sure they were OK.
"A group of people risked their lives to get him out," said Guzman. "The vehicle was in flames, and they got him out. If they don't get him out, he would've burned to death."
Guzman was from Florida and the other driver lived in California.
"You have to look out for others," said Guzman. "Do not drive crazy because there are so many lives that can be put in danger because of a vehicle."
News 8 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.