ILLINOIS -- Illinois State Police have released the final victim's name involved in the 72-vehicle crash that occurred due to a dust storm on I-55 on May 1st.
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A total of seven people died and 37 were injured after a dust storm caused a wreck on I-55 south of Springfield.
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Illinois State Police said all of the deaths occurred in the northbound lanes in Montgomery County.Ìý
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The victims in the wreck are as follows...
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- Shirley Harper, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin
- Earl LeGrand, 64, of Florissant, Missouri
- Joseph Bates, 74, of Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Donna Bates, 71, of Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Michael Zinchuk, 55, of Champaign, Illinois
- Amy Zinchuk, 54, of Champaign, Illinois
- Otto Medina-Salazar, 58, of Carthage, Missouri
"The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility," ISP said in a news release.
Injuries of the 37 in the crash range from 2-years-old to 80-years-old from minor to life-threatening.
I-55 was shut down for the rest of the day on May 1st and reopened to traffic at around 6 a.m. the following morning.
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Illinois State Police had the interstate shut down from mile post 52 - 80 in both directions.
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Divernon City Hall was being used as reunification post for families of people involved in the crash, ISP said.
