State trooper still hospitalized in serious condition after I-55 crash: cops

A state trooper who was injured in a crash on Interstate 55 near Route 30 remains hospitalized in serious condition.

The trooper was seriously injured on Monday when Angel Casillas, 20, of Joliet, rear-ended the trooper’s squad car while it was parked at the scene of a wreck on I-55, according to Illinois State Police.

State Trooper Elizabeth Clausing told The Herald-News on Wednesday that the trooper remains hospitalized in serious condition while Casillas suffered minor injuries.

Casillas was charged with violating Scott’s Law, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and following too closely, Clausing said.

“The investigation remains open and ongoing,” Clausing said.

Clausing would not disclose the trooper’s name or the name of the second trooper who was injured in a crash on Tuesday on the section of I-80 that crosses over I-55.

The second trooper was in a stationary squad car positioned behind the crash scene with the vehicle’s emergency lights activated, state police said.

Michael Ryan, 43, of Joliet, was driving a Chevrolet that struck the back of the trooper’s vehicle, police said.

Ryan “lost control of the vehicle, causing the Chevrolet to spin” and the rear end of Ryan’s car “crashed into the rear end of the squad car,” police said.

The trooper suffered injuries that were not life threatening and has since been released from the hospital. Ryan was not injured, police said.

Ryan was charged with violating Scott’s Law, driving too fast for conditions and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, police said.

State police said in a news release on Tuesday that six state police squad cars were struck in several districts over three days because of motorists disobeying Scott’s Law, bringing the year-to-date total of such crashes to 10.

“We are only six weeks into the new year and we’ve already had ten squad cars struck because people do not obey the law,” Brendan Kelly, director of Illinois State Police, said in a news release.

“But this about more than just obeying the law – it’s about basic decency and respect for the very lives of the brave souls on our streets simply trying to help the public,” Kelly said.

Scott’s Law requires motorists approaching stationary authorized emergency vehicles to proceed “with due caution” and either change lanes or reduce speed. The offense is punishable by a fine but it can be charged as a misdemeanor if there’s property damage or a felony if there’s injury or death.