James H. Roberts Obituary, Death – The Madison County Coroner’s Office has identified 67-year-old James H. Roberts as the victim in a fatal accident that occurred Tuesday afternoon. Roberts was driving a semi-truck loaded with rocks on Illinois Route 159 near North Deer Park Drive around 3:30 p.m. when the crash happened.
According to authorities, another truck hauling rocks was traveling northbound when it crossed the center line and collided with Roberts’ vehicle. The northbound truck had veered across the line to avoid hitting a fuel tanker that had stopped in the northbound lane to make a left turn. The driver of the northbound truck was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Roberts was pronounced dead just before 5 p.m. An autopsy revealed that his preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and chest. However, officials are awaiting toxicology results before confirming the final cause of death.
The Illinois State Police and its Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.