A deadly chain-reaction crash on an Illinois highway left three people dead and five others injured early Wednesday morning.
The horrific incident occurred just after midnight on Interstate 57 in Calumet Park, according to preliminary reports from Illinois State Police. Officials say the first crash involved three vehicles just south of 120th Street.
Moments later, a second vehicle struck three people who were outside their cars from the initial accident. Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while at least five others were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the deceased.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with some claiming an erratic driver may have caused the crashes. One woman told CBS affiliate WBBM that a black vehicle appeared to be traveling at more than 100 miles per hour.
Arthur Thomas, whose daughter was involved, spoke to ABC affiliate WLS about the crash. “A car sideswiped and then tried to run off the road,” he said. “The cars hit a couple more cars, and when she stopped, the car they hit in front of them… I guess they knocked some people out of the car. There was like three or four bodies on the expressway.” Fortunately, his daughter survived, according to CW affiliate WGN.
All lanes on I-57 were closed following the crashes and remained shut until around 7:50 a.m., state police said. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the accidents.
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