UPDATED: Coroner identifies trucker killed in fiery I-74 crash

 

I-74 semi Crash
Two semis involved in a fatal crash Wednesday afternoon in a construction zone on I-74, between Bloomington and Peoria. (Photo from Eureka-Goodfield Fire Prot. Dist. Emergency Medical Services Facebook page)

 

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The Woodford County Coroner said Wednesday night it was a Danville man killed in a fiery crash between two semis hours earlier in a construction zone between Bloomington and Peoria.

Coroner Tim Ruestman said Jeffrey Bryant, 48, was the driver of a truck that hit a broken-down semi about 2:25 p.m on eastbound Interstate 74 near Carlock.

Ruestman said the other driver was transported to Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. His condition is not known.

Traffic was at a standstill as police closed I-74, between Mitsubishi Motorway and Goodfield, during the peak hours of the afternoon commute.

The coroner said his office, Illinois State Police, and the Congerville Fire Department are investigating. The coroner is conducting an autopsy to determine what caused Bryant’s death.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…