Fatal Traffic Crash

On Friday July 28 at 1:15 PM O’Fallon Police, Fire, and EMS responded to the 8600 block of E. Highway 50, just east of Memory Ln, for a traffic crash involving 2 vehicles.  A white 2017 Nissan, which was occupied by Michael J. Theiss III (65 years old) from Belleville, IL was traveling eastbound on E. Highway 50 when it struck a blue 2014 Chevrolet van occupied by a 29 year old male from Belleville, IL.

Preliminary investigation revealed the Chevrolet van was turning left onto westbound E. Highway 50 when it was struck in the driver’s side by the Nissan.  The driver of the Nissan, Theiss, was found to be deceased from injuries suffered in the crash.  The driver of the Chevrolet suffered injuries in the crash and was transported from the scene by EMS.

Due to the severity of the crash, the Metro East Crash Assistance Team (MECAT) and the Illinois State Police were called in to conduct a crash reconstruction.  E. Highway 50 was closed to traffic for several hours while the reconstruction was completed.

Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of Michael Theiss.