Update: Police say the identity the of driver of the truck that crashed into a garage in Kewanee, Ill., over the weekend has been determined. According to police, 37-year-old Fred J. Yelm of Kewanee was driving when the truck ran into a garage in the 500 block of East Division Street.
Authorities say 37-year-old Gary Vancil was pronounced dead as a result of the crash. Yelm and another passenger, Kenneth Armstrong, remain in a Peoria hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Police say the case will be reviewed by the Henry County State Attorney to determine any formal charges.
KEWANEE, Illinois – One person was killed and two others injured in a car crash early Sunday morning.
Police say Gary L. Vancil, 37, of Kewanee died in the crash.
The two occupants who were injured are Fred Yelm, 37, and Kenneth Armstrong, 38, both of Kewanee. No word on their condition as of Monday morning.
Kewanee Police received a 911 call around one AM Sunday that a truck had run off the road and into a yard in the 500 block of East Division Street. Police say the truck was traveling down South East Street, toward East Division, when it blew right through a stop sign and smashed into a garage.
Homeowners Greg and Janice Hutchinson say their house shook from the impact.
"Woke up to a giant thump, almost a boom," Greg Hutchinson said.
The couple says at first they did not know what had happened, but when they rushed outside they were met with a horrifying scene.
The truck was flipped on its side, having come to rest partially inside their garage with three men trapped inside the cab.
"It was shock, absolute shock," Janice Hutchinson said.
They say police and EMS workers were there within minutes and had to cut the top of the cab off in order to get the men out.
One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other two were hospitalized. One of the injured was transferred to a hospital in Peoria while the other was being treated for injuries at Kewanee Hospital.
The Hutchinsons say while they feel awful for the families impacted by the accident, they also feel lucky they themselves were not hurt.
They believe a big rock in their front yard helped save them and their house from further harm. They say the truck hit the rock first, which is what caused it to flip over and smash into the garage.
Without the large rock "it would have driven straight through our living room," Greg Hutchinson said.
"We are so, so blessed it didn't harm us," Janice Hutchinson said. "Because it can happen so quick, you know one minute life is normal and one minute it's different."
Three victims had to be extricated from this vehicle after it crashed into a residential garage in Kewanee, Illinois early Sunday morning.
