Massive pothole damages dozens of vehicles on I-294: Illinois State Police

JUSTICE, Ill. (WLS) -- Chopper 7 was over the scene as at least 30 vehicles were left with flat tires on the northbound Tri-State Tollway in the Justice area Monday morning.

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The reports came in at about 8:30 a.m. on Interstate 294 near 83rd Street.

Illinois State Police said a pothole that measured 8 feet by 3 feet caused the damage.

Chopper 7 was over the scene at about 9:30 a.m., showing as crews worked to fix the reported potholes.

Crews shut down the two right lanes in order to start repairs. The lanes were closed for hours, causing significant backups and delays.

"It was like a big boom, and my car kind of swerved a little bit. And then I was able to pull to the side, and that's when I noticed it was already 15 people pulled over," said Tiffany Slaughter, whose truck was damaged.

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Slaughter is now trying to find a rental car while her Dodge Ram pickup is in the shop.

She had to have her truck towed, and so did at least a dozen others.

Slaughter estimates the hole was the width of an entire lane and a foot deep. She says crews quickly filled the hole with gravel.

"I saw it from a distance, and I wasn't able to get over. But once I got up on it, I noticed that it wouldn't clear my tires," Slaughter said. "I called the Illinois Tollway. Obviously, I got a voicemail to file a claim. I provided the police report over the voicemail, call my insurance. So now, just a waiting game at this point, which is ridiculous, because all this could have been avoided."

Officials said heat likely contributed to the pothole.

No one was injured in the incident.