St. Louis, MO – The Champaign County Coroner has released the names of two drivers who tragically lost their lives in a collision on Interstate 57 on Christmas.
Coroner Stephen Thuney identified one of the deceased as 48-year-old Muharem Ugarak of St. Louis. Ugarak was involved in a crash with 34-year-old Tyler Flynn from Dewey, who was driving westbound on County Road 3200 before veering off the road and colliding with Ugarak’s northbound semi-truck. The accident occurred at mile marker 252 on I-57, just north of Rantoul.
Both Ugarak and Flynn were pronounced dead at the scene, resulting in the closure of I-57 for extensive hours. While an autopsy is scheduled for Flynn later this week, no autopsy will be conducted for Ugarak. Investigations into the crash are ongoing, led by the Illinois State Police and the Champaign County Coroner’s office.
