Semis Cause Interstate Blockage

 photos courtesy of Teutopolis Fire Protection District...

Semis ending up off Interstate 70 east of Effingham caused traffic tie-ups at the crash scene, as well as a lot of traffic being routed through Teutopolis and Effingham.

Teutopolis Fire District Chief Tim McMahon said the interstate was closed this morning, then was reopened, then was closed again when the trucks involved had to be pulled from the ditch and moved out of the construction zone.

(ANOTHER CRASH SCENE)

McMahon said a third accident occurred on the Montose/Dieterich Blacktop. Police say they have also been incidents where traffic north out of Montrose on the highway north to Neoga has been disrupted.

We had been talking with McMahon while he and his crews were grabbing a bite to eat at lunchtime, but they got called away to another crash scene. McMahon later relayed that a semi at that scene had rear-ended another semi. A passenger in the sleeper of the semi that hit the back of the trailer of the first rig was transported to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital. Neither driver was injured.

Teutopolis and Montrose firefighters were on scene for an hour and 15 minutes. The crash occurred on I-70 Eastbound, east of the 57/70 trilevel east of Effingham.