Four Vehicles Involved in Fatal I-70 Accident

One person was killed and two others were injured in a four-vehicle crash on I-70, just west of Effingham Thursday morning.

The crash happened just after 11am in the westbound lanes. 

The person fatally injured was 86-year-old Evadine Goers of St. Elmo, a passenger in a minivan driven by 85-year-old Eugene Goers of St. Elmo. 

Illinois State Police report all four vehicles were westbound. The other vehicles involved in the collision were driven by 55-year-old Janet Bushue of Altamont, 27-year-old Jesus Gomez-Lara of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 40-year-old Carrie Smith of Tipp City, Ohio. Bushue's SUV, Gomez-Lara's car, and Smith's SUV were slowing in traffic. The Goers vehicle failed to slow and struck the rear of the Bushue vehicle, starting a chain-reaction crash in which the Gomez-Lara and Smith vehicles were also struck from behind.

The Effingham County Coroner's Office pronounced Evadine Goers dead at the scene of the crash. Eugene Goers was taken by ambulance for treatment of serious injuries. All others involved declined medical treatment.

Eugene Goers was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash. Gomez-Lara was cited for driving on a suspended license.