The two people killed in a fiery collision last week on Interstate 80 west of Ottawa, Illinois, have been identified as Ryan T. Hart, 43, of Joliet, and Nicole L. Currier, 47, of LaSalle. The LaSalle County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identification on Thursday, October 1st.
The accident report released by the Illinois State Police revealed that the six-vehicle collision took place at about 9:20 a.m. on Friday, September 25th. The investigators said that the cars involved had slowed for construction on the roadway.
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A Freightliner semi-trailer carrying car batteries failed to reduce speed and struck three vehicles, causing the fire. The ISP said that the damage extended to two other cars. Hart and Currier died from their wounds, while three people refused treatment.
Three others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and medics conveyed them to the hospital to get treated. The incident led to the closure of the westbound lanes of I-80 until around 2:37 p.m. The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.
In Illinois, police officers generally issue anyone involved in an accident a ticket for failure to reduce speed. The fact that the vehicle’s speed did not exceed the maximum legal or posted speed limit does not absolve a driver of the offense.
The law states that a driver must reduce speed when approaching or crossing an intersection, going around a curve or a crest hill. It also applies to those traveling on a narrow or windy roadway or areas with special hazards caused by roadway or weather conditions.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.