Illinois State Police have released five more names of people who died in a massive pileup Monday on Interstate 55 when a windstorm kicked up blinding dust near downstate Farmersville.
State police said 72 cars were involved in the crash and at least 37 people were injured, in addition to seven people who were killed. Several semitrailers also were involved in the crash, two of which caught fire.
State police on Saturday identified the following victims:
- Joseph Bates, 73, of Crystal Lake;
- Donna Bates, 71, of Crystal Lake;
- Earl LeGrand, 64, of Florissant, Missouri;
- Michael Zinchuk, 55, of Champaign;
- Amy Zinchuk, 54, of Champaign.
Shirley Harper, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin, was identified as a sixth victim of the crash earlier this week. The the name of the seventh person killed hasn’t been released.
The crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. about 16 miles south of Springfield.
“The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility,” State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said.
Winds at the time were gusting 35-45mph, the National Weather Service said.
