WHAT: Two Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash

WHERE: Interstate 57 southbound near milepost 225, Champaign County

WHEN: March 8, 2022 at approximately 7:04 a.m.

VEHICLES: Unit 1- 2007 White International Tanker Truck
Unit 2- 2020 White International Truck Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination

DRIVERS: Unit 1- Ryan Pointer, 31-year-old male from Ottawa, IL – Transported to 
an area hospital with serious injuries.
Unit 2- Joseph Pressley, 44-year-old male from Jonesboro, GA

PASSENGER: Unit 1- Michael Schaffer, 51-year-old male from Reddick, IL –
Transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was 
traveling south in the right lane of Interstate 57 near milepost 225 in 
Champaign County. The front right steer tire malfunctioned and burst. The 
driver of Unit 1 lost control and ran off the roadway to the left. Unit 1 
entered the center median area, rolled over and spilled part of its load onto 
the northbound lanes of Interstate 57. Unit 2 was traveling north at the same 
location and struck a large metal box in the roadway that had fallen from
Unit 1. The driver and passenger of Unit 1 were transported to an area 
hospital with injuries. The driver of Unit 2 reported no injuries. All lanes of 
Interstate 57 were closed in both directions for approximately 3 ½ hours 
during recovery efforts. The southbound lanes were opened at 
approximately 10:30 a.m. and the northbound lanes were opened at 
approximately 12:30 p.m.