Schaumburg Uber driver unharmed in fiery crash that killed passenger

A Schaumburg man working as an Uber driver escaped injury early Sunday when his vehicle was struck from behind on Interstate 55 and caught fire, killing one of his passengers and injuring two others, authorities said.

According to Illinois State Police, Shantilal P. Patel, 47, was driving southbound on I-55 at Damen Avenue on the South Side of Chicago when his 2011 Hyundai sedan was rear-ended at 3:19 a.m. by a 2015 Infiniti sedan.

Patel and two of his passengers, Alexander J. Kariott, 22, of Berwyn and Anastacio L. Morales, 23, of Lyons, were able to removed from the fully engulfed car, police said. Kariott and Morales were hospitalized in stable condition, police said.

Passenger Jamie A. Poulos, 23, of Berwyn, could not be removed and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.

A passenger in the Infiniti, Brianna R. Woods, 24, of Bolingbrook, was hospitalized in serious condition, police said. The car's driver, Rami Z. Matariyeh, 22, of Homer Glen, was not injured.

All lanes on the interstate were shut down at 3:26 a.m. and traffic was diverted on to Damen Avenue, state police said. All lanes were reopened by 11:09 a.m.

State police said their investigation is ongoing and further information will be released when it becomes available.