I-55 crash near Route 30: Illinois State Police trooper injured in accident near Joliet

JOLIET, Illinois (WLS) – An Illinois State Police vehicle was hit in a crash on I-55 near Joliet, closing the northern lanes for several hours on Monday afternoon.

Illinois State Police said one of their troopers had pulled up in the left lane behind a traffic accident and had emergency lights activated to help divert traffic to the right. A black Cadillac slammed into the patrol car around 11:46 a.m. while in it

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State police said the trooper was airlifted from the crime scene to a hospital in the area with serious injuries. The driver of the Cadillac, a 20-year-old resident of Joliet, was also taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Traffic was diverted from the highway on US Route 30, according to a statement from the Illinois State Police. The north lanes were reopened at 3:45 PM

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The Illinois State Police said this is the sixth crash of Scott’s Law-related state police crash this year, and the second in two days.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.