UPDATED 9:10 p.m. | Citations have been issued after a semitrailer truck driver was struck and killed while on the shoulder of Interstate 74 on Tuesday, authorities said.
Richard E. Gaunt Jr., 57, of Morton, was securing the load on his truck on eastbound I-74's shoulder near Carlock when a pickup truck struck him, authorities said Wednesday. The McLean County coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.
The pickup "exited right off the roadway" for unknown reasons and struck Gaunt and his truck, State Police said. That driver, a 59-year-old from Bement, was cited for alleged failure to reduce speed when approaching a disabled vehicle, failure to change lanes when approaching a disabled vehicle, and no valid insurance, State Police said.
Eastbound I-74 was shut down for over two hours after the incident.
State Police and the coroner's office continue to investigate.
