2 Dead, I-55 Shutdown Near Joliet After Head-On Crash

WILMINGTON, IL — Two people died Tuesday night in Will County and another person was critically injured in a head-on crash along southbound Interstate 55 near Wilmington involving a wrong-way interstate driver.

Two people were found dead at the crash scene, and authorities shut down Interstate 55 southbound traffic because of the double fatality. The scene of the wreck was between the North River Road exit near the Kankakee River and Lorenzo Road, authorities said.

Authorities told Patch it appeared that a total of four crash victims were taken to area hospitals, including the critically injured person. The crash happened at 9:49 p.m. The Wilmington Fire Protection District was the first agency on the scene. Others included: Illinois State Police, Will County Sheriff's Office, Coal City Fire, Braidwood Fire, Elwood Fire, Morris Fire and Bourbonnais.

Patch will update this story as more details are known.

Police shut down the southbound I-55 ramps at Lorenzo Road and North River Road in Wilmington to keep motorists away from the fatality investigation site.

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