LEBANON, Ill. — An 8-mile stretch of Illinois 4 was closed Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning following a fatal head-on collision of a car and a truck Tuesday.

According to Illinois State Police, first responders were dispatched to the scene on Illinois 4 near Emerald Mound Road at 9:48 p.m. where a Ford Fiesta and a Ford F-350 hauling a trailer collided.

Accident reports say the driver of the truck told officers he was northbound on Illinois 4 when he noticed a southbound car cross the center line. Despite his efforts to avoid a collision by driving his truck off the side of the road, the vehicles collided head-on.

Preliminary findings indicate the driver of the car may not have been wearing his seatbelt because he was ejected from his car.
The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. The St. Clair County Coroner’s office said identification of the deceased was pending as of midday Wednesday.

The driver of the truck and a passenger both were transported to area hospitals. The passenger was later released but the driver was moved to a St. Louis-area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Police closed the highway from the north side of Lebanon to its intersection with U.S. 40 west of St. Jacob for around four hours as crash reconstruction team members conducted their investigation.