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1 Killed, More Than A Dozen Injured When Tornado Hits LaSalle County

(CBS) - Severe weather and tornadoes that ripped through LaSalle County Tuesday evening killed at least one person, injured at least six and displaced several others.

The people whose homes were damaged were spending the night at shelters.

The tornado and winds "caused a lot of structural damage," said John Nevins, fire chief of the village of Naplate, one of the hardest-hit areas. "A lot of power lines are down. Power poles down. Trees down."

Naplate Mayor Jim Rick saw the tornado pass through town and the debris it scattered through the air.

"Signs, parts of roofs and tree limbs," he says.

About 50 homes were damaged.

Kim French's house was one of them. She took cover between two heavy appliances.

"I have no roof. It's just bad," she tells CBS 2's Ed Curran.

Just outside of town there was heavy damage to the Pilkington glass factory. Naplate is named after the national plate glass company, a huge employer in its early years.

There was one known fatality, but details weren't available.

OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa says it has received 14 patients with storm-related injuries.

"The types of injuries we have received include fractures and injuries to the head, knee, and arm areas. Several injuries were the result of falling tree limbs and the inability of drivers to see as they tried to travel home," the hospital said in a prepared statement.

Two patients were transferred to OSF St. Francis Hospital in Peoria.

One of the people hurt was David Johnson Jr., according to his father, David Johnson Sr. The elder Johnson says his 31-year-old son sustained a head injury from a falling tree.

"The outcome is probably not good," the father tells CBS 2's Charlie De Mar.

The Illinois State Police was assisting local authorities. Officials were trying to secure the areas that were hit so that they can assess the damage at daybreak.

 

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