By Alexandra Chachkevitch
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — Ten people were hurt in a multiple-vehicle pileup early Monday morning on the Interstate 57 on the Far South Side, authorities said.
Two cars initially collided around 2:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-57 near 119th Street, according to Illinois State Police.
A private ambulance stopped to help the injured in the two cars, which were blocking the right shoulder of the highway.
But another car struck the ambulance. Police determined that alcohol was involved in that second crash, said Illinois State Police Sgt. Bridget Gilgenberg.
In total, four to five vehicles were involved in the accident, and one of the vehicles rolled over, police said.
While officials responded to the accident in the northbound lanes, another two cars crashed in the southbound lanes of I-57, across from the initial crash. Gilgenberg said the crash happened after one car stopped to see what happened in the accident on the northbound lanes.
Eight people were injured in the pileup in the northbound lanes, and two more men were hurt in the two-car crash in the southbound lanes, said Chicago Fire Department Chief Juan Hernandez.
Five of the 10 injured people were seriously hurt as a result of the accident.
A 54-year-old man, a 26-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman were taken in serious-but-stable conditions to Advocate Christ Medical Center.
A 25-year-old man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and a 50-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital. Both were also listed in serious conditions, Hernandez said.
A man and a woman in their 20s were taken in fair conditions to MetroSouth Medical Center. Two men who were injured in the accident in the southbound lanes were taken in fair conditions to Saint Bernard Hospital and to MetroSouth as well, Hernandez said.
One person refused medical treatment on the scene, Hernandez said.
Officials blocked several lanes on the highway while they investigated the accident early Monday. All lanes were reopened by 4:15 a.m., according to state police.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
———
©2015 the Chicago Tribune