Ill. crop duster pilot treated after crash

PARNELL -- A central Illinois pilot is recovering after his crop duster clipped a tree and crashed.

Authorities and a witness say 67-year-old Edwin Niklaus of Farmer City walked away from the Monday afternoon crash but had to be taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for chemical burns and other injuries.

Niklaus' plane crashed around 1:40 p.m. near Parnell. That town and nearby Farmer City are about 25 miles southeast of Bloomington.

Ken Mayer watched the plane crash near his home. He then saw Niklaus walking away from the wreckage called 911 before hosing chemicals off of Niklaus.

The cause of the crash isn't yet known.