Neighbors described “a huge hole” in the I-55 sound wall after a red sedan went airborne before dawn.
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — A pre-dawn crash that sent a sedan over a frontage-road curve and through a concrete sound barrier onto northbound Interstate 55 killed a 20-year-old driver Thursday and crippled traffic between U.S. 30 and Route 126 for most of the morning, police said.
The wreck, reported just after 4:30 a.m. near mile marker 260, left bricks, glass and body panels across the interstate while investigators mapped the scene and interviewed witnesses. Police identified the driver as Johnathan Wenzel of Romeoville and said speed was a contributing factor in the initial loss of control on Frontage Road. The collision drew units from multiple agencies, including the Plainfield Fire Protection District, and set off long detours for commuters from Joliet, Plainfield and Bolingbrook as the Stevenson Expressway bottlenecked through the southwest suburbs.
Authorities said the Ford Fusion vaulted the barrier and came to rest in a northbound lane, where two vehicles were unable to avoid a collision. One motorist was taken to a local hospital and later airlifted to a Chicago trauma center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Another driver and a passenger from the third vehicle were evaluated and released. “People that live in the area know it’s dangerous,” said Danielle Rivera, who woke to sirens and flashing lights. “Seeing that huge hole … it was heartbreaking.” Officials have not released additional details about road surface conditions or any vehicle defects under review.
Public records reviewed by investigators show Wenzel lived a short distance—about a quarter-mile—from the breach point, a stretch lined by a tall sound wall that shields homes from interstate noise. The wall’s opening framed twisted rebar and scattered masonry as dawn broke. Troopers marked skid paths on the frontage curve and measured the trajectory toward the interstate travel lanes. The Romeoville Police Department is leading the reconstruction with assistance from Illinois State Police. Alcohol and impairment testing procedures were not detailed Thursday; investigators said those determinations, and any mechanical inspections, will be included in the final report.
Neighbors said speeding on that curve has been a problem. Several residents described prior fender-benders at the bend but said they had not seen a vehicle pierce the wall. Drivers heading to Chicago confronted miles-long backups after the interstate closed northbound; message boards diverted traffic to surface routes while tow trucks and cleanup crews worked inside the cone lines. By late morning, crews removed two wrecked vehicles and swept gravel and brick from the lanes. The hole in the barrier was visible from nearby backyards into the afternoon.
Police said the investigation will determine precise speeds, braking, and angles of impact from all three vehicles. The village will coordinate with state transportation officials to evaluate the sound wall and schedule repairs once documentation is complete. No charges were announced. A separate traffic unit is gathering dashcam and security video from homes and businesses along Frontage Road. Officials said additional updates would be released after the reconstruction team finishes its analysis and the village finalizes a repair plan for the wall.
All northbound lanes reopened at 12:42 p.m., restoring interstate traffic ahead of the evening commute. Investigators are expected to close portions of the frontage sidewalk again during wall repairs in the coming days; further details are pending the final report.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.