A Highland woman was seriously injured in a rollover crash on northbound Interstate 55 near Rt. 143 in Madison County late Tuesday night. Illinois State Police report it is unknown what led 39 year old Wendy M. Thomas, of Highland, to be involved in a rollover crash at 11:17 PM. A second vehicle, driven by 47 year old Matthew J. Anders, of Freeburg, was traveling northbound at the same location when he noticed debris in the roadway. He was unable to avoid a collision with Thomas’s vehicle, which had come to rest in the right lane of the interstate.
Following the second collision, Thomas was unresponsive and had to be extricated from her vehicle by EMS and fire personnel. She was flown to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the second vehicle, Matthew J. Anderson, sustained minor injuries, but was not transported to a hospital. His passenger, 23 year old Chase R. Lewis, of Troy, was not injured.
Northbound traffic on Interstate 55 was shut down for about two hours during the crash investigation and cleanup.
