Heroic motorists pull person from a burning car in attempt to save a life

JACKSON COUNTY, Ill. (KBSI) – A crash involving multiple vehicles took the life of one person and injured several more.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, October 20, 2024, around 6:10 pm, deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded
to reports of a multi vehicle traffic crash on Illinois 13/127, north of Illinois 4, in rural Vergennes. It was reported at least one person was entrapped and a vehicle was on fire.

After investigation deputies say that evidence shows three vehicles were southbound on IL 13/127. The third vehicle pulled into the northbound lane and began to pass the other vehicles. There was insufficient time or distance to pass, and the vehicle collided head-on with a vehicle northbound, in the northbound lane.

Both vehicles had major damage and came to a rest just off the roadway. The engine compartment of the passing vehicle was on fire.

Other drivers who saw the incident heroically acted fast and took steps to break a window and pull the driver from the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The northbound driver was pulled free from the vehicle and transported to an area hospital. During that crash incident, the other two southbound vehicles took evasive actions to avoid the crash. The evasive actions resulted in a minor crash between those two vehicles.

The drivers of those vehicles were not injured.

The road was closed for 2 1/2 hours as crews cleaned up the scene.

The crash is being investigated by the sheriff’s office Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit. The Jackson County Ambulance Service, the Jackson County Coroner’s Office, the Vergennes Fire Department, and the Murphysboro-Pomona-Somerset Fire Protection District all assisted on the call.