Two Crashes on I-57 Near Salem Today

Two crashes on I-57 near Salem resulted in injuries and traffic backups today.

Illinois State Police report the first crash occurred at 11:08am, about four miles south of the Kinmundy interchange. A semi left the roadway to the right, struck a guardrail and bridge support, and then overturned. 

The driver of the rig was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The second crash was the result of a traffic backup due to the first crash.

A semi struck a passenger car, then struck the rear of a semi, pushing that semi into the rear of another rig.

The driver of the first vehicle involved in the second crash and the driver of the passenger car were both flown to a regional hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries. The drivers of the other two vehicles reported no injuries.

The right lane of southbound I-57 at the crash scene was still closed as of 2pm to allow cleanup efforts to continue.