Hickory Hills, IL : Eight people injured in a Multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 294 near Hickory Hills on Monday morning, February 2, 2015

All lanes on the Tri-State Tollway are open again after a weather-related pileup that involved 45 vehicles Monday morning near southwest suburban Hickory Hills.

The crash happened at 9:20 a.m. after a vehicle rear-ended an Illinois State Police squad car in the southbound lanes just north of 95th Street, ISP Sgt. Paul Carlos said.

The initial crash caused a chain reaction and three semi trucks soon jackknifed, causing 45 other vehicles to crash, Carlos said.

Black ice on the roadway contributed to the numerous crashes and 20 vehicles had to be towed from the expressway, police said.

Eight people suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospitals, Carlos said. None of the injuries, including the officer’s, were thought to be serious.

The crash originally shut down three of the four southbound lanes, but all of the lanes have been reopened as of 3 p.m., State Police said.

Tom Forest, who works at the Bridgeview Sports Dome on the east side of the expressway, said traffic didn’t move for more than two hours after the crash.

“It looks pretty slammed,” he said.

Forest said he typically uses other routes to get to work, and he managed to avoid the mayhem on the tollway.

Source :
Multi-vehicle crash blocks I-294 in Illinois