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Five-vehicle crash on I-57 kills one

By Codell Rodriguez, The Southern

Saturday, September 27, 2008 11:47 PM CDT

JOHNSTON CITY - A five-vehicle collision, caused because of an earlier fatal crash, killed one man and left two people with major injuries Friday night just north of the Johnston City exit on northbound Interstate 57.

Williamson County Coroner Mike "Junior" Burke, said Paul E. Blood, 80, of Ina, was a backseat passenger in an SUV and was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:18 p.m.

James W. Day, 64, of Benton was driving the SUV and David G. Blood, 77, of Ina was the front seat passenger, according to an Illinois State Police news release. Day and David Blood both suffered major injuries. Day was taken to Heartland Regional Medical Center and David Blood was taken to Herrin Hospital and then to St. Louis.

The accident occurred about 9 p.m. when Milinko Cukovic, 54, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada failed to reduce speed when approaching an earlier, separate crash that had killed two people. His semitrailer crashed into the back of the SUV driven by Day.

The SUV was pushed into a third and fourth vehicle. The third vehicle was subsequently pushed into a fifth vehicle.

The third vehicle was a car driven by Darren Wayne Jackson, 30, of Little Rock, Ark. which also carried one passenger, Brandon C. Jackson, 25, of Conway, Ark.

The fourth vehicle was a car driven by driver Richard C. Maurer, 66, of Canton and carried passenger Karen J. Maurer, 51, of Canton. The fifth vehicle was also a car, and it contained driver Dustin W. Bracken, 22, of Dongola, Ryan J. Johnson, 19, of Dongola and Christopher A. Fuller, 17, of Anna.

Everyone involved was wearing their seatbelts and there were no other injuries.

Cukovic was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com / 351-5804@thesouthern.com / 351-5804