1 Killed, 2 Injured In Stevenson Expressway Crash
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A man was killed and two other people were injured in a Stevenson Expressway crash Wednesday when an SUV sped toward an exit from the middle lane and caused a chain-reaction crash.
The 5:45 a.m. crash on the expressway (I-55) near Throop Street involved three vehicles and caused huge backups during the morning rush, authorities said.
According to Illinois State Police, a green Ford Expedition SUV was driving at a high rate of speed in the middle lane of I-55 when the driver decided to change lanes to take the exit for the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway (I-94).
The Ford did not slow down and rear-ended a Dodge Ram, police said. The force of the impact sent both vehicles crashing into a concrete wall on the right side. The crash also pushed the Dodge into a Honda Civic in front of it.
Neither the driver nor the sole passenger in the Ford were wearing seatbelts, police said.
The passenger — identified as 28-year-old Enrique Moreno, of the 4500 block of South Troy — was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The driver of the Ford, a 25-year-old Chicago man, was taken to Stroger Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Three northbound lanes of the expressway were closed to traffic for nearly three hours, with traffic only getting by on the left lane and left shoulder. All lanes were reopened by 8:20 a.m.
State Police continue to investigate and would not say Wednesday evening whether anyone would be charged or cited.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
