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10 injured in Madison Co., Ill. crash

This is the second major crash on I-55 involving a semi truck in recent months.

MADISON COUNTY, Ill. - Ten people were taken to the hospital after a multi-vehicle wreck on northbound Interstate 55 in Edwardsville Friday afternoon.

For Donald Bailey and his wife, the crash derailed a trip to visit the grandkids. He says as he was slowing down for traffic, a semi-truck was speeding toward them from behind.

"Traffic was backed up a good bit before the construction. He obviously didn't see the traffic was stopped, and bless his heart,” Bailey said.

He tried to get out of the way, but there was no escaping the impact.

"Told my wife to hang on, and there's where we ended up,” he said, pointing toward his pick-up, flipped onto its side and on top chain-link fence.

Eight other vehicles were also hit in the chain-reaction crash that semi-driver caused when he looked away from the road to reach for a bottle of tea, troopers said.

Bailey, his wife and their little dog were able to walk away. Ten others were taken to the hospital, three airlifted with life-threatening injuries.

Crews closed Interstate 55 for about seven hours as they worked to clean up the wreckage scattered across the interstate.

The workers that tended to the Baileys’ pick-up were the same ones who responded to the crash on Interstate 55 that killed four people last month. The crash last month –just two miles away-- was also caused by a semi driver approaching the construction zone.

"Could have been a lot worse, a lot worse,” Bailey said.

This is the second major crash on I-55 involving a semi truck in recent weeks. Last month, four women were killed in a crash involving a semi just north of Edwardsville in Madison County.

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