4 Killed, 4 Hurt In Rollover Crash On I-290
Updated 09/26/13 - 3:45 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The driver of an SUV was cited with multiple offenses in a high-speed rollover crash that killed four people on Interstate 290 in west suburban Addison early Thursday.
Four other people were injured.
Margot Santillan, 31, of Chicago has cited for improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed, no valid drivers license, no insurance and suspended registration, State Police said.
WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports the group of five women and three men was employed with a Chicago temp agency, and was heading to a job in the western suburbs at the time.
Their silver 2003 Ford Explorer was heading west on I-290, near Route 83, a few minutes after 6 a.m., when the driver lost control, and the speeding SUV overturned, and landed off the interstate, according to Illinois State Police.
Addison Fire Chief Don Markowski said skid marks show the SUV started sliding sideways before tumbling down an embankment into a wooded ravine.
"The driver of the vehicle was taken to an area hospital, and she was conscious and walking around. The other patients were in more critical condition,"
Three women were ejected from the back seat; one was ejected from the front seat. All four women died.
Three men and the female driver were injured and taken to hospitals.
All eight people in the SUV were heading to a temp job in the western suburbs at the time.
The back six passengers were not wearing seat belts. The driver and passenger were, Illinois State Police Lt. Brian Windle said.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports one of the victims ended up pinned underneath the SUV. It took crews more than two hours to free that person's body from the wreckage.
The contents of the vehicle were left spilled all over the road; including soccer balls, and lunch coolers.
It was unclear if there was something on the road, or perhaps a mechanical problem, that might have caused the SUV to go out of control.
Windle said no witnesses had come forward with information that might help explain what happened. Police were reviewing 911 calls to determine who might have called police about the crash, so those people could be interviewed.
Windle said anyone who might have witnessed the crash should call the Illinois State Police station in Elgin, at 847-931-2405, extension 205.
The crash caused major delays on both sides of I-290 for several hours, as westbound traffic was being forced off the interstate while police investigated, and eastbound traffic was slowed due to gapers' delays.
The westbound lanes reopened around 10:45 a.m., after the crash scene was cleared, according to Windle.
