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1 Dead, 1 Hospitalized A Day After Fiery I-55 Accident

WILMINGTON, Ill. (CBS) -- One person is dead, and another was hospitalized with serious injuries Friday – a day after a fiery crash shut down northbound Interstate 55 near Wilmington.

Illinois State Police were called to the scene on I-55 south of Lorenzo Road just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

State police said a semi-trailer truck was about to enter a construction zone with traffic backed up. The truck's driver failed to stop before hitting the rear of a 2001 Chevrolet pickup truck, state police said.

The result was a chain-reaction crash into another semi-trailer truck, a 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and a 2017 Toyota Prius, state police said. The two trucks and the Monte Carlo were all left engulfed in flames.

The driver of the first truck was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said. The driver of the pickup truck, a 73-year-old Wilmington woman, was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.

The 31-year-old Danville man driving the second semi-trailer truck, the 35-year-old Dwight man driving the Monte Carlo, and the 66-year-old St. Louis man driving the Prius, were uninjured, state police said.

No charges were issued in connection with the crash. The investigation into the crash remained ongoing Thursday evening.

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