Baldwin woman fatally injured in chain-reaction crash
<span>A Baldwin woman, 59-year-old Barbara Wedemeyer, was fatally injured in a multi-vehicle, chain reaction accident on Sunday on Route 154 near The Material Works.</span>
<span>According to the Illinois State Police, the sequence of events started when a 2012 Kia Soul, driven by 23-year-old Lia Shurn Davis of St. Louis, was traveling westbound on Route 154 near Riverview Road.</span>
<span>Davis reportedly lost control of the vehicle and it left the right side of the roadway, where the Kia struck a railroad sign and a utility pole - which caused power lines to fall on the roadway - before coming to rest in the treeline.</span>
<span>The ISP's accident report states the reason why the Kia left the roadway is unknown, but excessive speed is believed to have contributed to the severity of the accident.</span>
<span>Both Davis, and her 23-year-old passenger, Brandon Scott Smith of Marion, were transported to the hospital with injuries. Davis was later transferred to a regional hospital with "non-incapacitating" injuries, while Smith suffered minor injuries.</span>
<span>Davis has been cited for no driver's license and improper lane useage. Both her and Smith were wearing their seatbelts.</span>
<span>In a separate report, the ISP said a 2005 Ford Edge, driven by Wedemeyer, struck the downed power lines in the eastbound lane, causing Wedemeyer to lose control and the vehicle rolled onto its side.</span>
<span>The Edge then slid into the westbound lane, where its top was hit by the front of a 2015 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, driven by 21-year-old Matthew S. Farris of Lebanon.</span>
<span>The impact with the tractor-trailer pushed the Edge back into the eastbound lane, where it struck a 2013 Kia Soul driven by 74-year-old Robert Holley, of Steeleville.</span>
<span>All three vehicles received major damage and had to be towed from the scene.</span>
<span>Wedemeyer was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene by Randolph County Coroner Randy Dudenbostel.</span>
<span>Both Farris and Holley were uninjured. All three drivers were wearing their seatbelts.</span>
<span>The two accidents happened a minute apart, starting at 8:50 a.m.</span>