State police report over 70 weather-related crashes after snowfall

Icy roads from Tuesday's early snowfall contributed to a slew of crashes including a fatal collision in the south suburbs, Illinois State Police reported Wednesday.

Over 70 property damage crashes and 18 personal injuries were reported on Chicago-area highways and state routes between midnight and 8 a.m., Trooper Melissa Albert-Lopez said.

The inbound Edens Expressway was shut down for several hours near Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center during the Wednesday morning rush, WBBM reported.

Also, a 10-vehicle crash occurred at about 4 a.m. Wednesday on I-394 in Sauk Village, shutting down all lanes. A secondary collision followed when an SUV rear-ended a semitrailer truck. The SUV driver, a 36-year-old man from Chicago, was killed, authorities said.

Elsewhere, a state police squad car, which was parked with the emergency lights flashing, was hit as the trooper helped with a separate crash.

Officials advised motorists who might be suffering from winter-driving amnesia to remember the basics.

"Motorists are urged to slow down and wear their seat belts. ISP remind motorists that they are required to move over and slow down for emergency and disabled vehicles," Albert-Lopez said.

Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Maria Castaneda echoed the call to lower speeds "especially on ramps and bridges and when approaching intersections and shaded areas. Be cautious of black ice that can appear as wet pavement. Also, increase the distance between vehicles - you need that distance to stop."

IDOT truck crews started spreading salt and treating roads Tuesday afternoon and continued overnight, Castaneda said Wednesday.

"However, with the lower nighttime air temperatures drop mixed with wet pavement, areas can freeze back suddenly with very little warning and become extremely slick."

Illinois tollway workers also patrolled overnight, "watching for slick spots and applying salt as needed, particularly on the western portions of the Reagan Memorial Tollway and the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway," spokesman Dan Rozek said.

"Our crews didn't need to do any plowing because the amount of snow falling was minimal and the pavement temperatures are still warm. We had no major incidents overnight on our system," he noted.