BOURBONNAIS – Two area residents are dead following an early morning crash on I-57 Tuesday.
According to Illinois State Police, the crash took place just before 1 am this morning when a car driven by a 26-year-old Onarga man was southbound on I-57 near Paxton when his car unexpectedly crossed the median and struck a northbound car driven by a 19-year-old Rantoul man.
That car was then hit by another northbound Semi which caused a 21-year-old Pembroke Township woman to be thrown from her vehicle.
The Onarga man and Pembroke Township woman were both pronounced dead at the scene by the Iroquois County Coroner.
Four others were taken to area hospitals for treatment following the crash, including a 3-week-old infant from Beaverville. All were reported with life threatening injuries.
The lanes were closed for nearly 8 hours before reopening earlier this Tuesday morning.
Names of the victims have not been released by local authorities.
