Eighth person dies in I-55 pileup crash caused by dust storm

An eighth person has died from their injuries suffered earlier this month in a massive car crash when a windstorm downstate kicked up clouds of dus...

May 19, 2023
2:44 AM

An eighth person has died from their injuries suffered earlier this month in a massive car crash when a windstorm downstate kicked up clouds of dust on Interstate 55. Ruth Rau, 81, of downstate Sorento, died Tuesday night at a hospital, Illinois State Police said. The accident happened shortly before 11 a.m. May 1 near the town of Divernon, about 16 miles south of Springfield. Excessive winds blew dirt from farm fields across the highway, causing zero visibility of the roadway, police said. The 72 vehicles involved in the crash included at least two semitrailers that caught fire, police said.

Sun-Times Wire