EIGHT HURT IN ACCIDENT ON ILLINOIS ROUTE 146

ANNA, Ill. -- Illinois State Police were investigating a chain-reaction accident Monday on Route 146 west of Mount Pleasant Road that left eight people injured.

The first accident occurred at 7:10 a.m. when a westbound tractor-trailer that was stopped on Route 146 for a school bus loading children was struck in the rear by a pickup truck.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Dewayne L. Stroder, 39, of Leopold, Mo., was not injured.

The driver of the pickup, Aurelio Patino, 23, of Cobden suffered minor injuries. A front-seat passenger, Carmona Esmereldo, 38, of Cobden also received minor injuries.

Jesus Hernandez, 23, of Cobden, a passenger in the rear of the pickup, also suffered minor injuries. A passenger in the rear of the pickup, Amesquitan Pastor, 47, of Cobden suffered major head injuries.

All were transported to Union County Hospital in Anna.

The pickup was carrying five more passengers, none of whom were injured.

The school bus was not involved in the accident, and no one on board was injured.

The second accident occurred at 7:20 a.m. as an empty Southern Seven Head Start school bus was stopped because of the previous accident.

The school bus, driven by Donna B. Miller, 46, of Dongola was struck in the rear by a vehicle driven by Michelle Albers, 21, of Dongola. The vehicles were eastbound on Route 146.

Miller suffered minor injuries and drove herself to Union County Hospital. Michelle Albers suffered minor injuries and was transported to Union County Hospital.

A passenger in the Albers vehicle, Alita Albers, 14, of Dongola, received minor injuries and was transported to Union County Hospital.

The third accident occurred when a woman on eastbound Route 146 swerved to avoid the original accident.

Lorene A. Karraker, 37, of Anna suffered a compound fracture of the ankle and was transported to Carbondale Memorial Hospital.

State police said Karraker swerved to avoid traffic backed up by the previous accidents and struck a guardrail on the south side of Route 146.