Car Trouble May Have Been Factor In Fatal I-55 Crash

Scene of fatal accident on I-55 and Lockport Road on Wednesday. | WGN-TV

The driver killed Wednesday afternoon in a crash on I-55 may have been experiencing car trouble and was hit by a semi-trailer when he was trying to get off the road, a fire official said.

The accident happened near Lockport in the northbound lanes of I-55 about 4:30 p.m. when a semi Freightliner smashed into a 1999 Chrysler driven by Eric Sharpe, 47, of Joliet, Illinois State Police said.

Sharpe was identified by the Will County Coroner’s office, with an autopsy scheduled for Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Jon Stratton, of the Plainfield Fire District, said that Sharpe was entrapped inside his vehicle. When firefighters were able to extricate him, he was already deceased. He was pronounced at the scene.

The driver of the semi was taken to a hospital. No other information is available of his condition.

Witnesses to the accident said that Sharpe may have been experiencing car trouble and was trying to pull to the side of I-55. As one semi swerved to avoid hitting the Chrysler, another semi struck Sharpe’s car, Stratton said.

“That’s what we’ve been able to piece together initially,” he said.

The crash closed the northbound lanes of I-55 for four hours while police conducted an investigation.

The accident is under investigation by the Illinois State Police.