Minooka, IL (May 21, 2026) – Three people were hurt, one critically, in a five-vehicle pileup on Ridge Road at Bell Road in Seward Township on Tuesday afternoon. The collision happened around 4:50 p.m. as all five vehicles were traveling southbound on Ridge Road. When one driver slowed to make a left turn onto Bell Road, the vehicles behind failed to stop in time, triggering a chain-reaction accident.
A 79-year-old driver was the most seriously hurt, with life-threatening injuries, and two women, ages 58 and 40, were also taken to local hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Emergency units from multiple stations responded to the scene.
Ridge Road was closed for four hours while the wreck was cleared and the scene was examined. No further identifying details about those involved were available at the time of publication.
Investigators are continuing to piece together the full sequence of events, and additional findings will be shared as they become available. We wish all three of those hurt a steady and full recovery.
How Chain-Reaction Crashes Happen on Rural Roads
Chain-reaction crashes typically start when one vehicle makes an unexpected maneuver, like slowing suddenly for a turn, and the vehicles behind don’t have enough time or distance to stop. On rural roads, where speed limits are often higher and following distances may be shorter than conditions warrant, a single braking action can ripple backward through multiple vehicles in seconds. The last vehicle in a line is often the one with the least warning, which is why rear-end force tends to be greatest at the back of a chain collision. Five-vehicle pileups are relatively uncommon on surface roads, but they can occur when traffic is moving steadily and drivers are not anticipating a sudden slowdown ahead. Road design, sight lines, and turn lane availability all factor into how these crashes develop.
