FARMERSVILLE – The Illinois State Police (ISP) is releasing the final name of the seven people fatally injured in multiple crashes that occurred on May 1, 2023 at approximately 10:55 a.m. on both northbound and southbound Interstate 55 between mile markers 72 and 78, near Farmersville in Montgomery County. Otto Medina-Salazar, 58-year-old from Carthage, MO was fatally injured in the crash. A total of 72 vehicles are known to be involved in the crashes and 37 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical.
There were seven fatalities in the crashes, including the following names previously released.
Shirley Harper, 88-year-old from Franklin, WI
Joseph Bates, 73-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Donna Bates, 71-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Earl LeGrand, 64-year-old from Florissant, MO
Michael Zinchuk, 55-year-old from Champaign, IL
Amy Zinchuk, 54-year-old from Champaign, IL
ISP recognizes the impact of this tragic event and offers its condolences to families and friends mourning their loss.
ISP thanks all its first responder partners and sister agencies for their tremendous work and assistance during this incident.
This remains an ongoing investigation and additional information is not available at this time.
ISP photos of the crash can be found at https://bit.ly/050123_T8_I-55MP76_Crash_Photos.