7 Vehicle Crash Results in Fatality and Closes I-70 for Nearly 9 Hours

A chain reaction pile-up on Interstate 70 four miles east of Martinsville left one person dead and sent three others to the hospital Friday night. State Police report that a semi was traveling east on I-70 at mile post 140 in Clark County at 4:56pm. The six other vehicles involved were also eastbound in front of the semi and coming to a stop for backed up traffic at an upcoming construction zone. The semi failed to stop causing the chain reaction pile-up. 

 

The driver of the vehicle directly in front of the semi, Raymond Johnson, 74 of Orange Connecticut, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Ruth Johnson was flown for treatment at Regional Hospital in Terre Haute. Dale McWilliams, 70 of Rolla, Missouri was flown from the scene to Carle Hospital in Champaign. While Amy L. Allen-Crosier, 43 of Overland Park, Kansas was taken by ambulance to Regional Hospital in Terre Haute. 

 

No one in the other vehicles were injured and none were from Illinois.

 

I-70 eastbound was closed for nearly 9 hours and rerouted onto U.S. 40 at the Martinsville exit.  

 

The driver of the semi, Wayne Kauffman, 66 of Oakland, Marlyland was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, aggravated reckless driving, and using an electronic communication device while driving.

 

This crash continues to be investigated by Illinois State Police District 12, Zone 7, and the Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit.