Trooper Airlifted From I-55 Crash In Serious Condition

JOLIET, IL — An Illinois State Trooper was seriously injured Wednesday afternoon along the Joliet stretch of Interstate 55 near Route 30. The crash prompted the Illinois State Police to shut down the northbound stretch of I-55 for several hours to keep motorists away from the investigation site.

The crash happened at 1:24 p.m. An Illinois State Police trooper had parked his squad car in the left lane with the emergency lights flashing as he was assisting a stalled motorist, state police announced Wednesday night.

Later, a car traveling northbound on I-55 rear-ended the squad car causing a multi-vehicle wreck, police said. The Illinois State Police trooper was airlifted from the site, and his injuries were serious, police confirmed.

The other two motorists were taken to Joliet area hospitals and their injuries were not life-threatening, police said. All lanes in both directions of I-55 were reopened Wednesday night.

WJOL, Joliet's news radio station, posted several photos from the crash scene on its website. WJOL reported that the wreck involved a state police vehicle and a semi on the northbound stretch of I-55. WJOL reported the semi was stalled a few hundred yards ahead in the left lane of traffic around I-55 at Caton Farm Road prior to the crash.

One reader of the Joliet Patch posted the following comment online: "I seen the truck at 12:45 just pulled to the left shoulder, tire blowout, had hazards on but we all know there isn’t room for a semi on the left shoulder."