Illinois: State Patrol car damaged, trooper injured in morning crash

Illinois State Police reported a three-vehicle, personal injury crash at 157 southbound near Mile Post 82, Jefferson County, Illinois, at 8:55 a.m. Wednesday. An Illinois State Police car and officer was involved in the crash.

The cars involved were a 1991 Toyota Pick Up, an Illinois State Police Chevrolet Caprice and an abandoned 2002 Dodge Stratus. A driver of the Toyota, Rojelio Sanchez Sanchez, a 49-year-old of Escondido, Calif., was transported via ambulance to a local hospital and subsequently transferred to a regional hospital. The state trooper was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Preliminary investigation shows the Toyota was traveling southbound on Illinois 157 near Mile Post 82 and roadway conditions at the time of the crash featured heavy, blowing snow with slick roadways. The left shoulder had an abandoned vehicle removed from the median due to its proximity to the lane of traffic and posed danger to motorists. All of the emergency lights were activated on the Chevrolet. State Police said the driver of the Toyota lost control sliding into the rear end of the ISP Patrol car, pushing the Chevrolet into the abandoned Dodge. The left lane was closed for approximately 1.5 hours.

Sanchez was charged with Failure to Yield to Stopped Authorized Emergency Vehicle (Scott’s Law), Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash, and Using an Unsafe Tire.