A man sustained injuries in a six-vehicle chain-reaction accident that occurred on the Interstate 57 on the morning of Friday, September 4. The accident was initiated when a tire blowout caused a driver to lose control of the vehicle. The victim was identified as Howard Griffith, 74, of Robinson according to the recent accident reports.
According to the details shared by the Illinois State Police, Mark Williams was traveling southbound on the I-57 when his vehicle had a tire blowout close to the West Frankfort exit. The blowout led Williams to lose control of the vehicle as it veered into the northbound lane.
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The oncoming vehicles in the northbound lane then attempted to avoid a collision with Williams which sparked the chain reaction. At first, a semi swerved out of Williams’ path to avoid collision. The driver of the semi was identified as Mark Lamothe, 55, of Ontario. As he swerved away, Lamothe’s vehicle collided with another semi. The second semi’s driver was identified as Edward Stafford, 45, of Mississippi.
Stafford’s vehicle hit the rear of Williams’ car and the chain-reaction embroiled three other vehicles. One of these was being driven by Howard Griffith who was the only person to have sustained injuries in the crash.
Following the incident, authorities shut down the southbound lanes of the I-57 for nearly two hours. Preliminary investigations revealed that Williams was driving the vehicle without insurance or a valid driver’s license. As per the latest accident reports, he was cited for No Valid Driver’s License, Improper Lane Usage and Operation of Uninsured Motor Vehicle.
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