IKEA Picketer Hit By Semi-Trailer After Refusing To Get Out Of The Way, No Citations Issued: Joliet Police

JOLIET, IL — Monday marked a hostile environment at Joliet's massive IKEA warehouse off Laraway Road as more than 100 employees took to the picket line to strike for better wages and working conditions. Then, the incident was overshadowed when a semi-trailer struck one of the IKEA employees who was known to be picketing.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, at 12:10 p.m. Monday afternoon, officers responded to the IKEA Distribution Center, 650 Emerald Drive, for a report of a traffic crash involving a pedestrian and a semi-truck.

Upon arrival, the officers located a 41-year-old man who was being evaluated by Joliet Fire Department paramedics. The man reported he had been struck by the front of a semi-truck. English noted that the officers then spoke with the 39-year-old driver of the semi-truck, who reported that the man, who was participating in picketing activity at the facility, stepped in front of his vehicle before falling to the ground.

"As part of the investigation, officers reviewed surveillance video of the incident," English revealed.

He said the 41-year-old man was transported by the Joliet Fire Department to Silver Cross Hospital with injuries believed to be minor. No citations were issued in connection with the incident, which occurred on private property.