I-55 Rollover Crash Near Mile Marker 256 Leads To Serious Injuries

There was an I-55 rollover crash that led to a driver being ejected and seriously injured. This I-55 rollover crash happened Thursday (March 21, 2019) evening shortly after 6:00 p.m. on northbound I-55 near mile marker 256.

According to information provided by the Illinois State Police, the accident involved two vehicles.

An excerpt regarding this I-55 rollover crash, from the March 22, 2019 Joliet Patch article titled “Person Ejected In I-55 Rollover Lives In Berwyn: State Police“:

According to police, Naperville resident Kanaga Sahadewan was driving a 2012 Acura TL in the center lane when Midcalf’s 2013 Kia Optima in the right lane tried to change lanes into the center lane, hitting the passenger side of the Naperville man’s Acura.
The Berwyn man’s Kia veered out of control, flipped several times before coming to a rest in a ditch, authorities said. Midcalf was thrown from his car and landed center lane of northbound I-55, police said. He was subsequently airlifted to a Chicago area hospital where he remains in serious condition, police said.

Sahadewan was not injured during the accident.

The accident investigation of this I-55 rollover crash is being conducted by the Illinois State Police.

The subject of car rollover accidents is further discussed on the “Will County Rollover Accidents” page. As discussed on that page, a rollover crash is one of the most serious types of crashes as they tend to lead to serious accident injuries. While there are many reasons as to why rollover crashes occur, one common factor is that they tend to occur at higher speeds.

Rollover accidents can be especially traumatic if vehicle occupants are not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, as not having this type of restraint can lead to the vehicle occupant being partially or fully ejected (i.e. thrown from) the vehicle. Such ejections are typically highly physically traumatic and lead to serious, if not life-threatening, injuries.

I-80 Car Collision Involving Illinois State Police Car

An I-80 car collision occurred Sunday (March 17, 2019) evening. This I-80 car collision involved an Illinois State Police (ISP) police car being “rear-ended” by another car. The man driving the other car was subsequently charged with DUI.

The accident is discussed in a number of media sources, including the March 19, 2019 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “State trooper injured in Joliet is 13th struck by vehicle this year.”

An excerpt from the article:

Rodolfo Mejia, 45, of Channahon, was charged with DUI and also cited for a violation of “Scott’s Law,” which mandates drivers to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles, state police said in a statement.
The trooper was inside his parked car at 6:40 p.m. during a traffic stop on I-80 near Hollywood Road when Mejia rear-ended him, police said. The impact sent the trooper’s car and a pulled over Nissan into a ditch.

Following this I-80 accident, bystanders had to help Mejia out of his car, after which the car caught on fire.

As seen in the accident scene photo, the State Police car was heavily damaged during the crash.

Both the Illinois State Trooper and Mejia were taken to the hospital for treatment of their accident injuries. Those injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening in nature.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this I-80 car collision can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above.

On this site, Will County crashes involving drivers who drive after excessive drinking – as well as those crashes involving drivers who drive while intoxicated by drugs – are summarized in posts found under the “DUI” category.

Additional discussion regarding the increasingly frequent problem of drug-impaired drivers, and the accident injuries involved during crashes they are involved in, is discussed on the “Vehicle Accidents Involving Drivers Under The Influence Of Drugs” page.

Crest Hill Pedestrian Accident Results In Fatal Accident Injuries

There was a Crest Hill pedestrian accident after which the man hit died early Monday (March 18, 2019) morning.

Details on this Crest Hill pedestrian accident appear limited at this time. Various media sources summarize the accident, including the March 18, 2019 Romeoville Patch article titled “Elderly Pedestrian Hit, Killed By Car In Crest Hill” as well as the March 18 The Herald-News article titled “Car strikes, kills elderly Crest Hill man.”

According to the Will County Coroner’s Office, the pedestrian was hit by a vehicle as he was walking near the intersection of McGilvray Drive and Weber Road.

The pedestrian was taken to the Amita/Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center emergency room. He was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m. Monday morning.

He was identified as Juvencio Hernandez, 79, of Crest Hill.

The investigation of this Crest Hill pedestrian accident is being conducted by the Crest Hill Police Department.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

As discussed on the “Will County Pedestrian Accidents And Injuries” page, there are many reasons as to why pedestrian accidents cause injuries that are often serious, if not life-threatening in nature. It is not uncommon for someone who has been hit by a car or other vehicle to be hurt and suffer multiple injuries. Recovery from such injuries varies depending upon many factors, including the type of injury as well as the physical aspects of the collision.

The aforementioned page highlights various Will County fatal pedestrian accidents, as well as accidents that have resulted in serious but non-fatal injuries.

Among common serious injuries that occur when a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle include broken bones, bruises, head injuries, soft-tissue damage, and back injuries.

Often, those who have been injured after being hit by a vehicle will seek to get injury compensation if the accident was not their fault. This compensation is often needed to cover medical costs and forms of compensation for other lost income. Other types of compensation can also be pursued depending on the specifics of the case.

Fatal Single-Car Accidents In Joliet During March 2019

There were two recent fatal single-car accidents in Joliet. These fatal single-car accidents lead to the deaths of a 21-year-old driver and a 70-year-old passenger. Both accidents happened in the early morning hours.

The first crash occurred near Interstate 55 (I-55) and Plainfield Road. Details on this crash appear very limited at this time. The driver of the
car, identified as Yasmin Castaneda, was later charged with felony drunk driving after she crashed into the I-55 overpass while driving on Plainfield Road. During the crash the car rolled onto its side. A passenger, identified as Gerardo Castaneda, 70, was pronounced dead at the accident scene.

The second of the fatal single-car accidents happened at approximately 1:00 a.m. near the 700 block of Hollywood Boulevard. In this crash, the car left the roadway and struck a fixed object. The reason for this apparent loss of vehicle control does not appear to be publicly disclosed at this time. [As discussed on the “Loss Of Vehicle Control” page, there can be many reasons why a driver may lose control of the vehicle. Some of these reasons may be caused by factors outside of the driver’s control, and some may be the fault of the driver, i.e. driver error. A traffic accident investigation often will be conducted to determine the reason(s) for the accident]

The driver of the car was identified as Keagan Sauerman, 21, of Plainfield. A subsequent autopsy revealed that he died from accident injuries resulting from the crash.

Both of these fatal single-car accidents in Joliet remain under investigation.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in the March 4, 2019 Joliet Patch article titled “Young Plainfield Man Dies In Joliet Crash,” the March 5 The Herald-News article titled “2 dead after weekend crashes in Joliet,” and the March 4 Joliet Patch article titled “Car Flips On Route 30, Passenger Dies, Driver Faces Felony DUI.”