EDWARDS CO., Ill. - A two-vehicle collision on Illinois Route 161 Extension at Edwards County Road 700E west of West Salem this morning left two men injured and sent to area hospitals.
The accident occurred this morning (Wednesday, January 6) at approximately 11:00 a.m.
According to the preliminary traffic crash investigation, the driver of a red1993 Ford truck, James E. Barnett, 66, of Albion, was northbound on Edwards County Road 700E and stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of the Illinois Route 161 Extension. Barnett attempted to cross the Illinois Route 161 Extension, when he was struck in the passenger side by a 1995 International truck tractor/dump trailer, driven by Mark L. Beehn, 54, of West Salem, traveling westbound on the Illinois Route 161 Extension.
Barnett was flown by Air Evac to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Beehn was transported from the crash scene by the Richland County Ambulance Service to an area hospital. Both vehicles were towed from the crash scene.
ISP District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department, West Salem Police Department, West Salem Fire and Rescue, and Richland County Ambulance Service. An ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer (C.V.E.O.) was assigned to the crash investigation. The cause of the accident has been determined to be Failure to Yield the Right of Way, but no citations have yet been issued.