Semi and Pickup Truck Collide North of Effingham

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Published on April 4 2016 9:19 am
Last Updated on April 4 2016 9:19 am
Written by Greg Sapp

A semi and pickup truck collided north of Effingham over the weekend.

The crash occurred just before 4pm Sunday on I-57 southbound six miles north of Effingham.

Illinois State Police report two State Police squad cars with activated emergency lights were sitting on the outside shoulder behind a passenger car and a tow truck. The pickup truck, driven by 26-year-old Schuyler Switzer of Mattoon, was southbound being followed by the semi, driven by 36-year-old Elvedin Samardzic of Garland, Texas. 

Police say Switzer applied his brakes in an attempt to slow and change lanes as a response to the emergency lights, but say Switzer performed the action in an abrupt manner near the point where the emergency vehicles were located. With both the shoulder and alternate lane occupied by vehicles, Samardzic was left with no alternatives to avoid a collision, tried to brake in time, but still struck Switzer's pickup truck.

Switzer and his passenger, 25-year-old Kyla Schreier of Neoga, were both injured and taken to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham. Switzer was later airlifted to Carle Hospital in Urbana for additional treatment.

Police cited Switzer for standing, stopping or parking on a roadway and violation of the minimum speed restriction.