Police have identified the three drivers in last night’s wreck on Illinois Route 41 that left an Abingdon woman in critical condition.
According to a statement from Knox County Sheriff’s Department, 40-year-old Elizabeth Dechow was transported via LifeFlight helicopter to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria following the 3-vehicle wreck yesterday.
Officers and medics were called at 5:49 p.m. to Route 41 and Knox Road 1300 N. where a midsized sedan and two pickup trucks were involved in a collision that closed part of Route 41 for two hours.
The driver of one pickup, identified as 45-year-old Ronald Paschal of Galesburg, was eastbound on Knox Road 1300 N. when he drove through a stop sign on Route 41 and struck Dechow’s southbound vehicle.
Dechow’s car was flung into the path of 46-year-old April Markword, of Rio, who struck the vehicle.
Paschal and Markword were transported to St. Mary Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
Dechow had initially been taken to Galesburg Cottage Hospital before she was flown to St. Francis where staff confirmed she was in critical condition. Family said Dechow had suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Paschal was cited for disobeying a stop sign and failure to reduce speed.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police, Galesburg and Abingdon police departments, Abingdon Fire and first responders and Galesburg Hospitals’ Ambulance Service assisted at the scene.
