Romeoville Man Killed In I-55 Crash Near Bolingbrook

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Will County Coroner's office has identified the victim of a one-car crash on northbound I-55 near Bolingbrook as a Romeoville man. Wayne A. LaBotz, 64, was pronounced dead at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook emergency room. Illinois State Police said LaBotz was involved in a one-car crash that occurred at around 10:45 a.m. at milepost 265 in Will County.

Police said a BMW driven by LaBotz was heading north in the middle lane when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the road and rolled over into the right ditch. LaBotz was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries and was later pronounced dead, police said.

The crash occurred in Illinois State Police District 5, including Will, Grundy and Kendall counties, where police said 135 crashes occurred from midnight until 1 p.m. Wednesday. A total of 65 drivers were involved in some type of incident where they lost control of their vehicles because of icy roadways, resulting in spinouts and vehicles in ditches, police said.

"Be advised that the roadways are still slippery and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is working diligently to keep up with salting the roadways, however, motorist must also do their part and drive safely if they choose to drive in these conditions," police said.

Icy roads led to fatal crashes near North Aurora and Tinley Park on Wednesday morning. Some area school districts opted to cancel classes, and Waste Management halted residential garbage pickup due to the weather.

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