Tragedy north of I-64 in Wayne County

WAYNE CO. (Barnhill)—Illinois State Police worked a fatal car accident last night involving six area teens, two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene.

Here’s the press release from this morning:

According to Illinois State Police District 19, Troopers investigated a two-vehicle traffic crash which occurred on U.S. 45, approximately 1/10 of a mile north of Wayne County Road 200N (approximately 2 miles north of I-64).

The preliminary traffic crash investigation indicated that the driver of a 1993, Ford Ranger, Benjamin S. Ingram, age 18, of Enfield, Illinois, was traveling southbound on U.S. Rte 45 1/10 of a mile north of Wayne County Road 200N, when for unknown reasons he crossed over the center line and struck a 2001 Jeep Wrangler being driven north bound on U.S. Rte 45 by William C. Yarnell, age 18, of Fairfield, Illinois. Both Ingram and a 16 year old passenger in his vehicle, (Taylor Dawn Cokely of Enfield—admin), sustained fatal injuries in the crash. Neither were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Yarnell was wearing a seatbelt and was transported to Fairfield Memorial Hospital for treatment of major injuries sustained during the crash.

As a result of the traffic crash, three other passengers in Yarnell’s vehicle received serious injuries. Andrew R. Atteberry, age 18, of Fairfield, Illinois was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and was transported to Fairfield Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the crash. Two additional juvenile passengers in Yarnell’s vehicle also sustained serious injuries in the crash and were transported to Fairfiled Memorial Hospital for treatment. Both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

Both vehicles involved in the crash received major damage and were towed from the scene by Rick’s Towing of Fairfield, Illinois.

The Illinois State Police were assisted at the scene by the Wayne County Ambulance Service, Fairfield Rural Fire Department, Wayne County Sheriffs Department, and the Wayne County Coroners office.

An Illinois State Police Crash Reconstruction Officer has been assigned to assist in the investigation.

~end of presser~

We’ve since learned the names of the two juveniles in the Yarnell vehicle, Colton Slover and Luke Harl, but we’ve not come across their ages yet. The four in Yarnell’s vehicle are Fairfield Community High School football players who had been attending a football game at Carmi. FCHS had a game scheduled for tonight at Vienna; that’s been cancelled in the wake of the tragedy.

ISP has not cited anyone in the wreck; if this status changes, we’ll update.

Short URL: http://www.disclosurenewsonline.com/?p=4423

Posted by Chris Beavers on Sep 4 2010. Filed under White. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry