Four Vehicles, Three Injured, in Crash East of Effingham Thursday

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Published on August 4 2017 6:24 am
Last Updated on August 4 2017 7:53 am
Written by Greg Sapp

(THE AFTERMATH OF THE COLLISION EAST OF EFFINGHAM THURSDAY AFTERNOON...photo courtesy of Chad Mette)

Four vehicles, including three semis, were involved in a crash east of Effingham on I-70 Thursday afternoon. The crash at 4:01pm resulted in minor injuries to three people and a blockage on the interstate for about an hour.

Illinois State Police report three vehicles were stopped about two miles west of Montrose due to a construction zone. 51-year-old Christopher Todd Rogers of Indianapolis apparently didn't see the stopped vehicles ahead of him. Rogers' semi rear-ended a semi driven by 55-year-old Daniel Castillo of Edcouch, Texas, which pushed Castillo's truck into the rear of a truck driven by 61-year-old Dean McClellan of Sigel, which pushed McClellan's truck into the rear of a semi driven by 50-year-old Michael Hickman of Houston, Texas.

McClellan and his passenger, 61-year-old George Sehi of Sigel, were entrapped in their vehicle for a time until being freed by Teutopolis firefighters. McClellan, Sehi and Hickman were all injured and were taken to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

Rogers was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and operating a vehicle while wearing a helmet. McClellan was cited for illegal transportation of alcohol.

Eastbound travel was disrupted again about 6pm Thursday in roughly the same area. A truck overturned, spilling its load of onions over the roadway. The interstate was again closed until that mess could be cleaned up. No injuries resulted from the crash.