Suburban men among the injured in deadly motorcycle pileup on I-80

A pair of Northwest suburban men were among several injured in a deadly eight-motorcycle pileup Saturday in the South suburbs.

According to Illinois State Police, the men were part of a group of motorcyclists riding together on westbound Interstate 80 near Interstate 55 in Will County when one crashed at about 10:13 a.m., setting off a chain reaction that brought down eight motorcyclists in all.

State police said it is unknown what caused the initial crash, but their investigation is ongoing.

Among those injured were Tomasz M. Weichec, 45, of Palatine, and Aleksander Zabawa, 58, of Bartlett, police said. Both were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries that are not life-threatening, authorities said.

Killed in the crash were Edwin Torres, 45, of Chicago, and John O. Melvin II, 57, of downstate DuQuoin.

Also injured, state police said, were Paul E. Schwab, 53, of Morris; Lonny D. Bailey Sr., 50, of Carterville; Lucas W. Brooks, 41, of Bloomington; and Albert C. Bischof, 51, of Kenosha, Wisconsin. All suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.

All lanes of westbound I-80, including the ramp from Houbolt Road, were shut down until about 3:15 p.m. while investigators worked the scene.