3 killed, 5 injured in I-57 crashes on South Side, Illinois State Police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Three people were killed in two crashes involving at least four vehicles on Interstate 57 early Wednesday, Illinois State Police said.

The crash occurred at about 12:05 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-57 near 119th Street on Chicago's South Side, police said.

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Police said initially three vehicles crashed near 120th Street. Then, another vehicle driving by hit three people who were standing outside from the crash.

Multiple people were ejected from their vehicles and several vehicles slammed into a barrier, police said.

Three male victims died on the scene, and at least five others were taken to Advocate Christ Hospital in unknown conditions.

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Officials did not immediately provide any additional information on the victims.

Arthur Thomas said his daughter was hurt in the crash, but survived.

"A car sideswiped and then tried to run off the road on I-57, going north between 119th and 127th," Thomas said. "The cars had hit a couple of more cars, and they ran off the road. And when she stopped, the car they hit in front of them, I guess they knocked some people out the car. And there was like three or four bodies on the expressway."

She described to him a very traumatic scene.

"It was traumatic for her. When she called me, she was just out of it. She said she was kind of help. There was kids in the car; the bodies were over there, but she was trying to help the kids," Thomas said.

Thomas says his daughter tried chasing after the vehicle that hit her.

"My daughter called me and told me somebody hit her, and she tried to chase them down. And they ran her off the road," he said. "She was talking to some of the other people that were involved in the crash, and they said the car had to be going over 100 mph."

State police diverted traffic off at 127th Street for nearly eight hours, allowing drivers to get back on past 119th, as crash investigators carefully inspected the vehicles and cleared debris from the roadway, looking for what might have led up to the deadly crash.

The cause remains under investigation. It's not clear if police are looking for anyone at this time.