COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Icy weather on New Year's Day is probably to blame for a deadly accident that happened around 1:30 in the morning in Collinsville, Illinois.
Several vehicles had slid off the road, hit guardrails and each other when a man involved in one of those accidents decided to get out of his car. The 38-year-old walked along the stretch of Interstate 255 near Black Lane trying to warn oncoming drivers of the crashes ahead.
While the man was walking on the side of the highway, an approaching driver lost control of their car. The out-of-control driver slid into the left shoulder, hitting the man. The man fell off the overpass, landing in the grass below and died.
Illinois State Trooper Josh Korando told 5 On Your Side that the driver struck the man and then rear-ended another vehicle. Both drivers were unhurt. Trooper Korando believes that had the man on the side of the road chosen to stay in his vehicle, he may have lived.
"If he would've stayed in his car and kept his seat belt on, there's a really good chance that he could've survived," Korando said.
Korando went on to say that there were a number of crashes in the area shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve.
"I would like to think that if people were driving more carefully that it would have been preventable," he said.
The driver who struck the man was 20-years-old. Trooper Korando does not think driving experience could have prevented the accident either.
"It happens every year in this area, but for some reason people still don't slow down when there's ice on the road," Korando said. "You just have to assume it's there, because when you come over the top of the overpass or the bridge, once you are on the bridge it's too late."
None of the drivers were suspected or tested for driving under the influence. Trooper Korando says no charges are being filed at this time.