| Advertisement |
Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Two people are dead and at least 16 have been injured after a major accident in oncoming lanes of traffic involving a stolen vehicle in Chicago on Wednesday, officials confirmed. Seven vehicles were involved in the collision on Chicago's South Side, resulting in at least 10 people being taken to local hospitals with a variety of injuries, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Advertisement
Men, women and children were among the injured, the department later confirmed. Four people had life-threatening injuries when transported by ambulance, one was in serious but stable condition, and five had non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash happened near the intersection of 87th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the city's Chatham neighborhood at around 5 p.m. CST.
The collision unfolded as a stolen car began traveling the wrong direction at a high rate of speed when it entered the intersection, causing the chain-reaction crash. The black Dodge Charger collided at least partially with all of the other six vehicles.
In the aftermath sat a pile of six cars, including one charred beyond recognition and another flipped over atop the pile, as rescue crews arrived.
The driver and a passenger in the stolen Charger were both killed, according to police. The car was reported stolen in Markham, Ill., south of Chicago, earlier in the day.
A "long-rifle type of firearm" was also found in the stolen car, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said Wednesday night.
"This is a really bad crash. I've seen many, many -- and this is among the worst," Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford told reporters at the scene.
