Fiery West Side Crash: Joliet Police Confirm 1 Dead

JOLIET, IL — One person was dead after a fiery high-speed crash in Joliet on Tuesday night. Around 8:15 p.m., Joliet police shut down traffic on Glenwood Avenue near AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center following a collision involving two vehicles.

Joliet Police Department spokesman Dwayne English said a female driver was westbound on Glenwood at a high rate of speed when her vehicle hit the back of another westbound vehicle that was stopped at the stoplight at Springfield Avenue.

At 8:16 p.m., Joliet police responded to Glenwood Avenue and Springfield Avenue for a crash with injuries. A crossover sport utility vehicle driven by a 46-year-old Joliet woman was westbound on Glenwood Avenue at a high rate of speed in the inside lane.

As this vehicle approached the intersection of Springfield Avenue, it struck the rear of a sedan vehicle, which had been stopped at a red light at Glenwood Avenue and Springfield Avenue, English said.

That collision forced the sedan into a tree on the north side of the intersection, and it became fully engulfed in flames. Officers immediately attempted to provide aid, but the driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The driver who was killed has yet to be identified. The woman driving the SUV had serious injuries and was later airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center, English said.