Wednesday morning crash closes Norris Drive through Ottawa

Truck collided with a utility pole

Norris Drive in Ottawa was closed the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, as police and firefighters cleared a pickup truck that had collided with a utility pole near Sam's Pizza. The truck did not strike Sam's building. (Photo provided by Ottawa Police Department)

February 22, 2024 at 5:45 am CST

No major injuries were reported from a crash just before 8 a.m. Wednesday on the 700 block of West Norris Drive in Ottawa.

Police and firefighters blocked off the roadway, which is U.S. 6 through Ottawa, to clear the pickup truck that had collided with a fence and two concrete tables, according to the Ottawa Police Department.

The driver, Brian G. LaValle, of Streator, told police he was distracted looking for cigarettes and ended up in the wrong lane. He told police he overcorrected. LaValle was taken to OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa and given traffic citations following the crash.