Illinois Truck Accident Resulted In Fatal Injuries

ntsb.gov, Feb 21, 2006

About 8:30 a.m. on January 26, 2001, a 2000 Dodge, 15-passenger, Ram Maxiwagon 3500 van, owned and operated by the Salvation Army, departed a Salvation Army facility in Chicago, Illinois, with the driver and 10 passengers, en route to correctional institutions in Dwight and Pontiac, Illinois, approximately 83 miles southwest of Chicago. The trip was sponsored by the Salvation Army’s Correctional Services Program, and the service was provided to family members of offenders incarcerated in the correctional facilities. About 9:35 a.m., after having traveled some 32 miles, the van was involved in a fatal crash. Witnesses reported that the van was traveling in the southbound left lane of Interstate 55 (I-55) near milepost (MP) 250 when it slid out of control on the icy road surface, crossed the 40-foot-wide median, and was struck by a tractor trailer traveling in the northbound left lane of I-55. Witnesses reported the roadway appeared to have “black ice”1 with blowing snow. Winds were 13 mph, with gusts of 20 mph. The sky was overcast, and the temperature was about 20º Fahrenheit. One witness stated that he thought the maximum safe speed for the conditions near the accident site was 35 mph. The van was traveling at a witness-estimated speed of 60 to 65 mph near MP 252. The posted speed limit was 65 mph.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) had an established snow and ice control program and procedures. Plow operations on the I-55 route began about 7:00 a.m., and two passes at the accident site had been made before the accident occurred. According to the plow operators, because of the windy conditions, they had been spot spreading a chemical deicing material during those passes. The plows were in the process of performing a third pass, dispensing a continuous application of the deicing material, but had not yet reached the accident site when the accident occurred. Prior to the accident site, near MP 250, witnesses had observed other vehicles losing control on the highway. One witness said that he saw 5 to 10 accidents along the southbound lanes of I-55. Another witness stated that he had seen several vehicles that had lost control and run off the roadway in the southbound lanes of I-55 before he witnessed the accident van swerve hard to the left, go out of control, cross the median,2 and roll on its right side into the northbound lanes. This witness had been traveling in the southbound left lane about 100 to 150 yards behind the accident van. Evidence at the scene indicated that the van yawed3 counterclockwise about its vertical axis as it entered the center median at approximately an 18º angle. As the van traveled for 102 feet through the median, the rotation continued, and the van began to roll about its longitudinal axis. When the van encroached into the northbound left lane of I-55, it was struck by a truck tractor pulling a loaded 48-foot van semitrailer. The truckdriver reported that he was traveling about 50 mph and that he braked his vehicle but was unable to avoid the van. At collision, the truck’s front grill impacted the roof of the van, crushing it down to the seat cushion level. Both vehicles departed the impact area to the right, traveled across the northbound lanes, struck a light pole, and came to rest in a gore4 area, approximately 325 feet from the impact area. During the postimpact movement, four van occupants were ejected. (See figure 1.) The accident resulted in fatal injuries to all 11 van occupants; the truckdriver received minor injuries. Both vehicles were destroyed.

The analyses of postmortem blood and urine specimens obtained from the van driver were negative for alcohol and drugs of abuse. The toxicological examination revealed the presence of chlorpheniramine, a sedating over-the-counter antihistamine found in many cold and allergy preparations. In therapeutic doses, chlorpheniramine commonly results in drowsiness and can have measurable effects on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks, such as driving a vehicle. Reduced performance has been demonstrated even in individuals who feel normal after ingesting the drug. The level detected in the driver was that expected from a normal single dose of the medication taken within 4 hours; however, the drug has a long half-life, and the level detected could represent an accumulation from doses taken in the days before the accident.