ISP recordings show concerned family members calling about loved ones in I-55 crash
SPRINGFIELD, ILL (WICS/WRSP) — We received the audio call recordings from first responders from the I-55 crash earlier this month.
The crash killed 8 people and injured 37. A total of 72 vehicles are known to have been involved in the crash.
ISP said the crash was caused by excessive winds, which blew dirt from fields across the highway.
The Illinois State Police sent us 15 audio recordings. Many of those calls were from concerned family members and friends about loved ones potentially involved in the crash.
You can hear concerned family members and friends call in, worried that their loved ones were involved.
"This is probably the biggest thing any of us have dealt with on the interstate," ISP said in the recording.
At that moment, state police did not have many answers.
They told callers if they came into contact with their loved one, they would call back.
"The troopers are still out dealing with it and we don’t have any of that information in here...If we come across something somebody will let you know," ISP said in the recording.
Two callers called about three people that we now know were killed in the crash, but at the time ISP wasn’t able to answer their questions.
"I can take your name and number, but I don’t have any information to provide at this time," the recording said.
State police were trying to coordinate tow trucks to remove vehicles from the scene.
Vehicles were brought to the intersection of Brown and Henrietta in Divernon.
"We are calling all the tows from Springfield. Collinsville will be calling the tows that will be coming up from the south and we’re still waiting on where everything is getting towed to," the recording said.
You can also hear the first responders on the scene asking for more supplies such as N-95 masks, goggles, and water bottles because of the dust.
State police were also coordinating which roads were shut down during the crash and how to get emergency vehicles on the scene.
