5 deaths in 88 days over 9 miles near Mendota

Dennis Rutishauser has been a firefighter more than 40 years and has seen plenty of bad accidents on Route 251 between Peru and Mendota – but he’s never seen a string of fatalities as he has this year.

Rutishauser is Mendota fire chief and is dismayed over five fatal scenes in just less than three months, all within a roughly 9-mile span of Route 251 from just south of North 36th Road near Troy Grove to just south of North 45th Road north of Mendota.

“Slow down. Stay off the phones. Don’t follow too closely. Don’t overtake people improperly.”

—  Jason Martin, undersheriff, La Salle County

While reckless behavior and excessive speed are ongoing issues, Rutishauser is looking to the county and the state for solutions to improve safety on an increasingly deadly stretch of road.

“I’ve had accidents always on this stretch of road, but not this frequently,” he said. “Cellphones could be a problem. The traffic is really heavy now, so it’s kind of hard to pass and when someone does there are cars being run off the road.

“There’s no one issue.”

Although many of the crashes remain under investigation, suspected causes vary among the five deaths. Medical issues are suspected in at least one case and investigators have not ruled out driver inattention in other cases.

Nevertheless, the recent spate of fatalities has been eye-popping. Police and coroner records show five fatal crashes in just 88 days, all within a relatively short corridor. They include:

Madrick Musgrove, 16, of Mendota died April 18 just south of North 45th Road; James A. Staublein, 64, of La Salle died May 7 from multiple injuries sustained in a crash a half mile north of U.S. 52 in Troy Grove Township;Jerome E. Johnson, 25, of Ottawa died May 10 after being struck by a motor vehicle on Route 251, a quarter mile south of North 36th Road, in Dimmick Township. Johnson’s death was the result of a hit-and-run and remains under investigation; Jacob Stewart, 33, of Spring Valley sustained fatal injuries June 22 while changing a tire near 36th Road, a mile south of U.S. 52; David T. Gorman, 47, of Steward died July 14 after his southbound vehicle left Route 251 about ¼ mile north of 22nd Street and struck a tree

What’s the solution? Rutishauser said he hopes better awareness and perhaps better signage will help. He would welcome input and corrective action by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Jason Martin, undersheriff of the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, said he agreed with Rutishauser’s assessment and had succinct advice for motorists.

“Slow down,” Martin said. “Stay off the phones. Don’t follow too closely. Don’t overtake people improperly.”

The sheriff’s office, cognizant of the recent tragedies, means to enforce these things, too. Martin said patrol officers have been instructed to increase patrols on Route 251 when in the general vicinity.

One potential long-term fix is adding shoulder space or pull-over spots. Presently, there is little or no shoulder along much of the corridor in question – steep ditches on either side increase the risk of a rollover – which means tragedy might have been avoided in the Stewart fatality had there been some space for roadside repairs.

State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, pledged to inquire in how to improve road safety.

“I will ask [Illinois Department of Transportation] to look into this dangerous stretch of the road,” Rezin said.