Five Vehicles Involved in Interstate Crash at Effingham

Five vehicles were involved in a crash on the interstate at Effingham at 3pm Monday.

The crash happened one mile south of the Fayette Avenue interchange on westbound I-70/southbound I-57. 

Illinois State Police report a SUV pulling a homemade trailer was headed southbound on I-57 when the unit lost a portion of a towed load of metal. A vehicle driven by 20-year-old Davetta Wozniak of Effingham was struck by the metal. A semi driven by 56-year-old Randy Banovz of McLeansboro and other vehicles were forced to brake and make evasive maneuvers to avoid the debris. Banovz and a semi driven by 42-year-old John Masih of Brampton, Ontario, Canada were able to brake to avoid a collision, but a van pulling a trailer carrying a vehicle by 31-year-old Francisco Luevanos III of Champaign rear-ended the Masih vehicle, pushing Masih's vehicle into the semi driven by Banovz.

The unit driven by Luevanos consisted of a U-Haul van towing a car trailer containing a vehicle and three unlawfully transported passengers.

The interstate was closed for over an hour as Effingham Fire Department and Abbott EMS along with the Effingham County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Transportation assisted the injured and arranged for the removal of wrecked vehicles and debris.

(THE AIR EVAC HELICOPTER ARRIVES TO TAKE LUEVANOS TO ST. JOHN'S HOSPITAL IN SPRINGFIELD)

The driver of the unit hauling the homemade trailer that lost some of its cargo, 63-year-old Larry Daniel of Chicago, was cited for an improperly secured load. Luevanos was cited for transporting passengers in a towed vehicle.

Banovz was injured and taken to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham. Luevanos was injured, as were his four passengers, all from Champaign, including a 10-year-old boy, a two-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy. The passengers were taken to St. Anthony's, while Luevanos was airlifted to HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

Fire officials say the interstate was fully re-opened to traffic just before 5pm. During that time, Route 40 including Fayette Avenue in Effingham was congested due to the traffic from the interstate. At times, the interstate traffic was backed up for five miles.