ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by

Illinois State Police District 12 

WHAT:                       Injury Crash 

WHERE:                    US HWY 50 at Ironwood Road, 1 mile east of Xenia in Clay County

WHEN:                      11/20/2019 at 8:04 PM         

VEHICLES:              UNIT 1 – Blue 2019 Peterbilt Truck Tractor

                                    UNIT 2 – Black 2019 Jeep Cherokee SUV

DRIVER:                   UNIT 1 – Brendan Scott Swope, 28, Midlothian, VA    

                                    UNIT 2 – Sheila G. Lambrich, 61, Woodlawn, IL

PASSENGERS:       UNIT 1 – None

                                    UNIT 2 – Shari L. Pottorff, 65, Collinsville, IL

TRANSPORTS:      UNIT 1 – N/A           

                                    UNIT 2 – Lambrich and Pottorf were transported by ambulance to Clay County Hospital and then later transferred to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN.

CHARGES:               UNIT 1 – Improper Backing of a Vehicle on the Roadway, Improper Lane Usage, Failure to Maintain an Hours of Service Log

                                    UNIT 2 – Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle                                               

PRELIMINARY:       Preliminary investigation details indicate that Unit 1 was traveling west on US-50 when the driver of Unit 1, Swope, pulled off onto the north shoulder of the roadway at the intersection with Ironwood Road, 1 mile east of Xenia. In an attempt to complete a three-point turn, Swope pulled Unit 1 back onto the westbound lane of US-50, and then attempted to back the truck tractor northward onto Ironwood Road. During Swope’s attempted backing maneuver, Unit 2 came traveling along on westbound US-50 and struck the driver’s side area of Unit 1 as it was backing up. Both the driver and passenger of Unit 2 were later transported from the scene by ambulance due to injuries sustained during the crash.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law