Another fatal truck crash in Chicago

[RebelDarlin]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...,5798711.story

chicagotribune.com
Semi strikes cars on Edens Spur, killing 1 person and injuring at least 6
Crash is 3rd this month on roadway
By Deborah Horan

Tribune reporter

10:14 PM CDT, June 13, 2008

A semitruck driver sideswiped at least six cars late Friday morning on the Edens Spur, killing one person and injuring six, including himself. The spur was closed in both directions for more than four hours. The crash occurred on the inbound lanes near marker 49, just north of the Waukegan exit.

The police were not yet releasing the identities of those killed or injured.

With two recent previous crashes on the Edens Spur fresh in their minds, Illinois State Police on Friday already had deployed a special team of at least 10 troopers to check trucks and enforce reduced speeds through construction zones along the stretch in northern Cook County, a state police spokeswoman said.

The crash—which happened even as marked police cars pulled semitrailer trucks over to inspect brakes and make sure drivers weren't sleepy—left state troopers wondering what measures to employ to avoid another such crash, said Police Master Sgt. Allison Renaud.

The two previous pileups injured several people and created havoc on the section of freeway that connects Interstate Highways 294 and 94. On June 5, two semitrailers crashed into four other vehicles, injuring two people. The next day, a second crash involved two semitrailers and two cars.

Renaud said the problem is a short, construction-free stretch of road that seems to invite traffic-weary drivers to suddenly speed up. They are unable to see a second construction site just beyond a curve in the freeway south of the Waukegan exit, she said.

"People are driving too fast," Renaud said. "They are coming off of 294, where they are sitting in construction, and when it opens up for a period with no construction, they get a little bit of daylight and suddenly drive fast."

Signs warn drivers of the approaching slow zone, but many fail to reduce speeds in time, she said.

dhoran@tribune.com

Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

[Mr. Ford95]

Or it could be that the gosh dang cars are going thru nice and fine and then some bonehead decides to jam on their brakes. That has been happening a whole lot locally here in VA. Everybody will be moving thru at a nice reduced pace and then one in the group will see a couple of workers and stand on their brakes to come to a complete stop for some reason. Wonder no wrecks have happened because of a few dingbats. I understand the whole slowing down but if your already doing 30 mph in a posted 60 mph, you don't need to stop everytime you see workers and then go thru at 5mph.