Three Killed in Marion County Crash

Three people were killed and two others were injured in a Wednesday afternoon crash in Marion County.

Illinois State Police report a car driven by 41-year-old Ezell Smith of Green Bay, Wisconsin was southbound on I-57 near the Kinmundy/Patoka Blacktop when the crash happened at 4:50pm.  Police say the car ran off the interstate to the right and struck a tree head-on. 

Smith was killed as were passengers 40-year-old Sherie Simmons and 63-year-old Mattie Simmons, both of Sledge, Mississippi. Two other passengers, a two-year-old girl and an 11-month-old girl, both from Carthage, Mississippi, were injured. Both were airlifted from the scene. 

Police say the crash remains under investigation.