Highway Tragedy

An overpass accident has occurred for the second time in two years as Emily Sawyers was killed from a piece of granite that fell onto Interstate 74. The large granite rock crashed through the windshield of Sawyer’s car and split her head open, which caused her to crash. A similar accident occurred last year as Samuel T. Howe was killed by a can of gasoline falling onto his car from an overpass on Interstate 57.

Celine Taylor, Sawyer’s mother, was in the passenger’s seat of the car and received treatment at Carle for multiple bruises and a broken arm. They were going to a church in St. Joseph before the incident. The culprits of the crime have yet to be identified, but the police have received a report of young males throwing debris on I-74 from the Prospect Avenue overpass around the time of the accident.

Sawyer was 43 years old and the mother of three children who are all under the age of ten. Sawyer was a breast cancer survivor two years ago and an administrative aide at the Champaign Unit 4 Schools. Sawyer’s two sisters, Felicity Strove and Donna Taylor issued a statement on the incident, “This was a senseless tragedy. Emily was a wonderful mother and caring daughter. Who would do this to a perfect stranger, just for kicks? It could have been any one of us or any of our kids. We hope that steps can be taken to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”

If anyone has any information about the accident or the identity of the people who committed the crime call Champaign Crimestoppers at (217) 373-TIPS.