July 26, 2024
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One dead in fiery I-88 crash near DeKalb in Kane County

Wrong-way driver went west in eastbound lanes on interstate in Maple Park: ISP

By Kelsey Rettke
Traffic on I-88 looking east from Peace Road in DeKalb drives into the haze from the Canadian wildfires Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Cortland Township. Smoke from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems.

One person has died in a fiery crash after driving the wrong way on Interstate 88 (shown here eastbound near Peace Road in DeKalb in this June 2023 Shaw Local file photo) in Kane County near DeKalb Monday morning, authorities said. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com)

One person has died in a fiery crash after driving the wrong way on Interstate 88 in Kane County near DeKalb Monday morning, authorities said.

All eastbound lanes on I-88 near mile marker 103 in Maple Park were closed for about five hours Monday as Illinois State Police troopers respond to the crash, an ISP shift commander said. Traffic was rerouted to Peace Road near DeKalb. Eastbound lanes were reopened at about 10:18 a.m.

Authorities said they don’t yet know what caused the driver to go the wrong way Monday morning, as heavy fog settled around the area.

The State Police were called to the interstate at 5:19 a.m. Monday for reports of a wrong-way driver who was headed west in the eastbound lanes, according to the ISP.

The vehicle collided head-on with another going east on the interstate. Both cars caught fire and were fully engulfed when authorities arrived, the ISP said.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was pronounced dead. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were life-threatening.

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