One dead in Elgin crash

One person was killed this morning in a crash at Route 20 and Shales Parkway in Elgin, forcing the closure of a stretch of Route 20 for five hours.

The crash occurred at 6 a.m. at the industrial area on the city's far east side.

Luis Ramirez of Fulton Street in Elgin was killed when his Dodge Neon was struck head on by a pickup truck pulling a horse trailer that had swerved to avoid hitting a dump truck that had pulled in front of it, according to police.

The woman driving the pickup and Ramirez were both driving on Route 20 through the intersection on green lights when the dump truck turned left in front of the eastbound pickup, police department spokesman Ann Dinges said.

She swerved into the other lane and collided with Ramirez's westbound compact car, sending them both into a ditch.

Traffic was diverted for about five hours onto northbound and southbound Route 31, which is under construction in two places in Elgin. Many people who work in Elgin or drive through it were late for work today due to the tie-ups on Route 31 and Route 20.

The intersection has been the site of many crashes in recent years.