Gary Bartels Killed in Accident at I-70 in Central Twp, IL

State Police have information on a crash that killed one person at I-70 in Central Twp, IL on March 16th, 2024. Authorities say it happened around 8:03 p.m. According to investigators, a semi-truck is alleged to have failed to control its speed prior to colliding with the rear of another vehicle. That vehicle, a pickup truck towing a horse trailer, was said to have been stopped with other vehicles in traffic caused by a separate accident. The impact from the collision pushed the pickup truck in the semi-truck stopped ahead of it, the impact seriously injured 66-year-old passenger, Gary Bartels. Reports say Bartels was taken to an area hospital where he later died of his injuries. The pickup truck operator, who was not publicly identified, was allegedly uninjured, as was the semi-truck operator. Additional information was not available.