FINAL UPDATE: Person Killed in Crash West of Altamont Sunday Identified

A fatal crash on Interstate 70 just west of Altamont closed the eastbound lanes to traffic for more than six hours Sunday.

The accident happened at milepost 81, just before the eastbound lanes merge into a single lane prior to entering the construction zone. Four vehicles were involved in the crash, along with additional vehicles that were being hauled or towed. Eastbound traffic was routed off I-70 at St. Elmo while an accident reconstruction took place.

Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the person killed in the crash was identified as 68-year-old James Barnes of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

State police report vehicles driven by Barnes, 31-year-old Stephen Long of Saint Thomas, Pennsylvania, and 44-year-old Corey Meyer of Crocker, Missouri were all stopped in the right lane of I-70, due to traffic being backed up before the construction zone when a pickup truck driven by 69-year-old Billy Barksdale of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, rear-ended Barnes' passenger car. The impact shoved Barnes' car into the rear of a trailer being towed by Long's pickup truck, and Long's vehicle was shoved into the rear of Meyer's semi trailer.

Police cited Barksdale for failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash.

Illinois State Police re-opened both eastbound lanes at about 10:30 pm Sunday.

Photo by Sherry Stein