JEFFERSON CO., Ill. - Illinois State Police District 13 out of DuQuoin has reported that two men from Canada were injured in a weather-related incident on Interstate 57 in Jefferson County.
The accident occurred yesterday morning (Friday, February 12) at 10:05 a.m., said ISP.
At that tim, Alphonsus Veinhuzeen, 89, of Oakville, Ontario, was driving an SUV pulling a trailer southbound on I-57 when, at around milepost 81, he lost control of the vehicle on the roadway, which was wet with occasional slick spots.
The SUV and trailer slid into the median, entered back into the southbound lanes, which Veinhuzeen crossed, then entered the west ditch. At that point, the vehicle jackknifed and struck a large tree. The trailer came to rest on its side facing backwards alongside the driver's side of the SUV.
A passenger in the vehicle, Francoise Veinhuzeen, 82, also of Oakville, Ontario, was taken, along with the elder Veinhuzeen, by ambulance to a local hospital; ISP called their injuries "non-incapacitating."
Both the SUV and trailer received extensive damage; they had to be towed from the scene, which closed down the right southbound lane of I-57 for approximately one hour while they were removed from the ditch.
