Dust Storm Creates Blackout Conditions On Central Illinois Roadways

A Chatham man was killed, and Illinois State Police shut down eastbound Interstate 72 at the Morgan-Sangamon county line and eastbound Illinois 104 at Auburn Wednesday afternoon following numerous multi-vehicle accidents due to dirt from fields blowing across the roadway. Police described visibility at times as a total blackout. The fatal crash happened just before 4 p.m. on Interstate 72 just east of the New Berlin exit. Illinois State Police reported the 53-year-old Chatham man was traveling eastbound in a vehicle when, apparently because of the poor visibility, he failed to reduce speed and struck the rear of a tractor-trailer.