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Death toll rises to 8 in devastating 'dust storm' crashes on I-55

By AP NEWS
Published  May 17, 2023 8:04pm CDT
Illinois
Associated Press

Death toll rises to 8 in devastating dust storm crashes on I-55

The death toll from numerous crashes on Interstate 55 that occurred amid a blinding May 1st dust storm has risen to eight, a coroner said Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The death toll from numerous crashes on Interstate 55 that occurred amid a blinding May 1st dust storm has risen to eight, a coroner said Wednesday.

Ruth Rau, 81, of Sorento, who was a passenger in a car that crashed in the dust storm, died of blunt force injuries Tuesday night at a Springfield hospital, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said.

The crashes involved a total of 72 vehicles, with at least 37 people taken to hospitals.

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High winds had kicked up dangerous clouds of blinding dust off farm fields, police have said.

The crashes closed I-55 in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as horrific.

Illinois couple among victims of deadly dust storm pileup

New details have been released about the victims of a deadly Interstate 55 pile-up near Springfield that occurred earlier this week.

Winds at the time were gusting between 35 mph and 45 mph, the National Weather Service said.

The following are the seven other victims killed in the crashes:

  • Shirley Harper, 88-year-old from Franklin, WI
  • Joseph Bates, 73-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
  • Donna Bates, 71-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
  • Earl LeGrand, 64-year-old from Florissant, MO
  • Michael Zinchuk, 55-year-old from Champaign, IL
  • Amy Zinchuk, 54-year-old from Champaign, IL
  • Otto Medina-Salazar, 58-year-old from Carthage, MO