A massive car crash involving 72 vehicles in Farmersville, Illinois, Monday morning left at least six people dead and 37 people injured, police said.
The survivors, whose ages ranged from 2 to 80 years old, were taken to local hospitals with various injuries, some of whom are said to be in critical condition.
The Illinois State Police issued a statement explaining that the collisions occurred simultaneously on northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 55 at Milepost 76, within a two-mile stretch from roughly Milepost 76 to Milepost 78. The statement also revealed that all six fatalities occurred in the northbound lanes, with one decedent identified as 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, WI. The Montgomery County Corner’s Office is working to identify the other five individuals and notify their families.
Several of the vehicles involved were tractor-trailers, and at least two of them caught fire. The lanes remained closed through the afternoon and into Tuesday morning. “Once the interstate is clear of all vehicles, the Illinois Department of Transportation will have to inspect the roadway before it is re-opened,” the police said.
State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick attributed the cause of the crash to a windstorm that generated clouds of dust, leading to zero visibility. “The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility,” Starrick said.
The director of emergency services in Montgomery County, Kevin Schott, described the accident as a “very difficult scene” and said it was “very hard to train for.” He explained that emergency workers had to search every vehicle, whether involved in the accident or just pulled over, to check for injuries. He also stated that those involved were visibly and understandably upset.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific” and expressed his concern for the safety of motorists navigating the dangerous conditions. “I am closely monitoring the horrific situation at the Macoupin and Sangamon County line on I-55. My team is in constant communication with the Illinois State Police, Department of Transportation, and Emergency Management Agency to ensure the safety of motorists as they navigate dangerous conditions,” Pritzker wrote in a statement.
The incident highlights the need for drivers to exercise caution in adverse weather conditions, including strong winds and poor visibility. The Illinois State Police have urged motorists to stay off the roads during such conditions to prevent similar accidents in the future.

Meanwhile, Drivers are speaking out following fatal crashes due to a dangerous dust storm in central Illinois late Monday morning, which led to the deaths of at least six people.
“You couldn’t even see,” Evan Anderson, 25, told The Associated Press. “People tried to slow down and other people didn’t, and I just got plowed into. There were just so many cars and semi trucks with so much momentum behind them.”
Anderson said a semi turned before striking his vehicle, which spared him from even more damage.
“The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” Tom Thomas, 43, recalled.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific.”
The Interstate 55 incident, which occurred at around 11 a.m., involved 40 to 60 cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which state police said caught fire.
All of those who were killed were in northbound lanes, although more than 30 people on both sides of the interstate were sent to hospitals with injuries.
Those injured had minor to life-threatening injuries, with patients ranging in age from 2 to 80 years old.
Shirley Harper, an 88-year-old from Franklin, Wisconsin, was named as one of the people who perished, according to WISN 12.
Authorities set up staging areas away from the crash site.
