David Greeson dies in fatal Coles County, Ill. car crash
Fatal Coles County, Ill. car crash death of David Greeson
Coles County officials have confirmed the identities of the two individuals who perished in two separate vehicular accidents that unfolded within a short distance on Thursday evening.
A 84-year-old resident from Neoga was pronounced deceased after a collision between a semi-truck and a passenger car, which occurred at 5:43 p.m. on Thursday. The incident took place east of Lerna Road, close to the Coles County Memorial Airport, with the victim serving as the sole operator of the passenger vehicle.
Sheriff Kent Martin reported that eastbound traffic lanes were temporarily shut down due to the crash, extending from Lerna Road to the access point of Sarah Busch Lincoln Hospital in Mattoon. The Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit was deployed to manage the extended closure, and the lanes were eventually reopened between late Thursday night and early Friday morning.
Approximately an hour and a half later, a second accident happened about a mile west of the first crash. A pickup truck collided with an IDOT maintenance vehicle that was assisting with the ongoing investigation of the initial incident. The driver, a 61-year-old man from Mattoon, did not survive the accident and was the only person in his vehicle at the time.
The impact caused a fuel tank rupture on the IDOT vehicle, resulting in a fire that destroyed both vehicles. Fortunately, IDOT employees were not present in the equipment and sustained no injuries. The intersection near this location was briefly closed but has since been reopened.
The State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit, which had been at the first crash scene, subsequently moved to the second location to provide expertise.
Further details were gathered by contacting IDOT, the Illinois State Police, and the Mattoon Fire Department, though responses have not yet been received.
