CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Five people were killed in two separate fiery, wrong-way crashes early Monday on the Eisenhower Expressway, according to police.
The first crash happened around 1:40 a.m. on the inbound lanes of I-290 at Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park.
Illinois State Police said a driver was going the wrong way and crashed into another vehicle.
Two people died at the scene. A passenger in the struck vehicle was hospitalized with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, state police spokeswoman Gabriela Ugarte said in an emailed statement.
Minutes later a second wrong-way crash was reported on the Eisenhower Expressway near Wells Street in Chicago.
A wrong-way driver on a westbound ramp collided head-on with a driver, causing both vehicles to erupt in flames, Ugarte said.
Three people were killed. Two were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious to critical condition, and two others refused medical treatment.
Related
The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released the victims’ names.
Lanes were closed for several hours in both locations following the crashes, reopening at around 6:30 a.m.
Officials told WBBM Newsradio details are still developing as investigations into both crashes are now underway.
Related
