Two other people were critically injured in the five-vehicle collision near 55th Street on the city’s South Side.
CHICAGO — A wrong-way driver caused a five-vehicle crash on Interstate 94 that killed one person and critically injured two others Friday evening, according to state police and fire officials.
Illinois State Police said the driver entered the northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway near 31st Street while traveling south. The vehicle continued in the wrong direction before the crash occurred near 55th Street, also known as Garfield Boulevard. Authorities had not released information explaining how or why the driver entered the expressway in the wrong direction.
The collision happened at about 5:48 p.m. in the northbound express lanes, state police said. Several vehicles were badly damaged, and emergency crews remained at the scene into the evening while investigators examined the roadway and responders assisted those involved.
Chicago Fire Department officials said one person had to be removed from a vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Officials did not immediately release their names, ages or other identifying information.
Authorities also had not said whether the person who died or either of the critically injured patients had been traveling in the wrong-way vehicle. No information was released about injuries to anyone else involved in the five-vehicle crash.
The crash brought northbound traffic to a halt on a major route through the South Side. State police diverted all northbound vehicles from the expressway at 67th Street while emergency workers cleared the damaged vehicles and investigators documented the scene.
News video recorded shortly after 7 p.m. showed several vehicles at the crash site near 55th Street. The scene remained active more than an hour after the collision as police and fire crews worked across the express lanes.
State police had not announced any citations, arrests or criminal charges as of Sunday. The cause of the crash remained under investigation, and officials had not released an updated condition for the two critically injured people.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.