Joliet firefighter/paramedics and Illinois State troopers responded about 6:10 a.m. Tuesday, September 26, 2017 to a crash involving three semi-trailer trucks on eastbound I-80 between Larkin Avenue and Houbolt/Hollywood Road. One of the truck’s cabs became fully-involved with fire, and part of the trailer also burned. Parts of the other trucks were also involved with fire.
At female FedEx driver of a tandem trailer truck was killed by the crash, and a truck driver from another company had serious burn injuries.
The female driver that was killed was identified by the Will County Coroner as Sami S. Guzick, age 50, of Joliet.
Two FedEx trucks were on the right shoulder at milepost 129 on eastbound I-80 when they were rear-ended by another semi just after 6:10 a.m., according to the Illinois State Police. A FedEx truck with a double trailer had broken down. Another driver, behind the wheel of a truck without a trailer, had come to help. The driver of the semi (from another company) that hit the other two semi-trailer trucks, jumped out of his semi-trailer truck cab while he was on fire. He suffered severe burns, and was transported to St. Joseph Hospital. He was later airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
The other FedEx driver did not initially report any injuries, and was not transported to the hospital.
Eastbound I-80 was still shut down at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Google Maps traffic layer alert reports eastbound I-80 will be closed until 9:30 p.m.
Westbound I-80 was shut down for a short time during rescue operations.
PHOTO ABC7CHICAGO (submitted by Jessica Golembiewski)
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