Four Semis in Crash East of Effingham

Four semis were involved in a chain-reaction crash east of Effingham Tuesday afternoon.

State police say a rig driven by 50-year-old Juan Blanco of Ft. Worth, Texas failed to slow for a construction zone on I-70, six miles east of Montrose at 4:27pm, and rear-ended a rig driven by 56-year-old Beriz Bosnjakovic of St. Louis, Missouri. That forced Bosnjakovic's rig into a rig driven by 64-year-old David Talkington of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, which forced Talkington's semi into the rear of a fourth rig. That driver left the scene without exchanging information.

Bosnjakovic complained of disorientation after the crash and was taken to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham, where he was treated and released. No other injuries were reported.

Blanco was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash.

State police report I-70 westbound traffic was reduced to 15MPH around the crash and the subsequent backup delayed drivers for hours while the scene was cleared.