On Wednesday night, that is, on 7th July, 4 people died in a car crash on Interstate 55 south of Lincoln, moreover, as per the Illinois State Police officials, during the time of the accident major heavy rainfall was taking place. Although the police have not revealed the identity of the deceased, they have confirmed that in the car accident a 47-year old man, a 16 and 17-year-old girl and a 17-year old boy eventually lost their lives at the spot. Meanwhile, a 13- year old girl was rescued by the state police of Illinois and immediately taken to the hospital.
As per the district superintendent Kyle Freeman, three of the four Washington citizens who died in the fatal car crash were the students of the Washington Community High School. Meanwhile, talking about the car accident, the officials of the Illinois state police narrated the whole incident saying that the 47-year-old man was riding a 2016 gray Chrysler Pacifica north on the interstate near milepost 122 at around 10:15 PM when he lost authority over the vehicle.
The car slipped beyond the centre and into oncoming southbound traffic where a semi-trailer truck bumped it, leading the Pacifica to rest in the centre of the road. The identity of the deceased was not revealed by the police officials out of respect and privacy, however, through an email from the WCHS (Washington Community High), it has been confirmed that the three dead teenagers are their students. Moreover, as per Freeman, the driver who was driving the vehicle during the car crash was one of the family members of the school employee.
In the email, Freeman also stated that all the community of Washington are deeply saddened by this news. He also raised concern by stating that the student of WCHS may have a hard time dealing with this incident, and therefore, they urge the parents to talk to their children regarding this aspect and seek help if needed.
The driver of the truck, who is a 50-year-old man from Stone Mountain, was also taken to the hospital and as per the police officials, his wounds were not that serious. Meanwhile, one of the passengers present in the truck also suffered some minor, however, he is also safe and sound. Meanwhile, Freeman has ensured that they have activated a crisis counselling team for the WCHS’s students for Thursday as well as for Friday and stated their district is obligated to arranging everything so that they can decrease the pain and grief of the students.
