Head-on death near Joliet airport: Pickup truck driver dies in St. Joes

The identification of the deceased victim and manner of death will be determined by the Will County Coroner's Office, Joliet police said.

June 19, 2024, 11:12 p.m. CDT | Update June 19, 2024, 11:25 p.m. CDT

JOLIET — A 72-year-old Lombard man died Wednesday evening after being involved in a four-vehicle crash on West Jefferson Street in Joliet, near the Joliet Municipal Airport.

Joliet police became aware of the accident at 6:30 p.m.

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According to Dwayne English of the Joliet police:

Officers responded to West Jefferson Street and Airport Drive for a multi-vehicle traffic crash with injuries.

A Ford Ranger truck driven by the 72-year-old Lombard man was westbound on West Jefferson when it struck the rear passenger side of a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 44-year-old Shorewood woman. She was traveling westbound on West Jefferson Street in the inside lane.

The Lombard man's Ford truck also struck the rear driver's side of a Tesla 3 driven by a 38-year-old Naperville man, who was also heading west on West Jefferson Street in the curb lane.

After striking two cars, the Lombard man's truck then drove between the Jeep and the Tesla and swerved to the left into the eastbound lanes, striking an eastbound Pontiac Torrent head-on, driven by a 22-year-old Rockdale man.

The 72-year-old driver of the Ford truck was transported to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center by Joliet firefighters, where he died.

No other injuries were reported in the crash. The road was closed for several hours while Joliet police reconstructed the accident.

The identification of the deceased victim and manner of death will be determined by the Will County Coroner's Office, English noted.

Anyone with video footage or information regarding this crash is encouraged to contact the Joliet Police Traffic Unit at (815) 724-3193. This accident remains under investigation.