MONROE CENTER, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Department of Transportation is taking safety measures in an Ogle County construction zone following seven vehicle crashes within a 12-day span.
Deputy Chief of Monroe Township Fire Protection District, Richard Wilson, says the district believes the crashes are linked to distracted driving and the construction itself. “We just had a couple days ago where a minivan, rear ended the I-beam of a semi. He was lucky to be alive. He a couple bumps and bruises and scratches. He refused treatment and went about the way. If he wouldn’t have moved over a little bit, we would have been dealing with a fatality,” said Wilson.
The total number of crashes Monroe Center has seen this year is 14. That number is big for such a small town with only 400 residents. “For other fire districts, maybe small or big fire districts, that’s chump change they respond to 14 into in a week,” said Wilson. “But for a small rural fire protection district, seven in since September 24th of this year is an astronomical increase in most of all been commercial vehicles, semi versus semi,” continued Wilson…