UPDATED 5:05 p.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
One person was injured in a six-vehicle crash Friday on southbound Interstate 57.
Illinois State Police say it happened around 9:15 a.m. Friday on I-57 southbound near mile marker 67.
According to police, a 2010 silver Ford was headed south when it had a tire blow-out and came to a stop on the right shoulder of the road on a bridge.
Police say the driver, Mark Williams, 18, of South Bend, Indiana, tried to move from the bridge deck and entered the right lane of traffic at a slow speed.
The move prompted a chain-reaction crash as vehicles tried to avoid the Ford. Three semis and two other personal vehicles, a white Chevy and a white Honda, were involved.
The driver of the Chevy, a 74-year-old man from Robinson, Illinois, was taken to an area hospital with injuries.
Police say Williams was cited for improper lane usage, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and not having a valid driver's license.
I-57 southbound was closed for approximately two hours.
UPDATED 11:00 a.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
Illinois State Police say all lanes of southbound Interstate 57 have now reopened to traffic.
UPDATED 10:10 a.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
Illinois State Police say southbound traffic is backed up north of mile marker 75. They are asking drivers to use the Sesser exit to avoid the backup.
UPDATED 10:00 a.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
Illinois State Police say southbound traffic is being diverted at exit 71.
They are asking drivers to avoid the area.
ORIGINAL STORY
FRANKLIN CO. (WSIL) -- Franklin County authorities are warning drivers of a traffic crash on Interstate 57.
Franklin County Emergency Management Agency says "multiple vehicles" are involved in a crash on I-57 southbound near mile marker 67, north of the West Frankfort exit.
Drivers are encouraged to find an alternate route.
