Route 83 reopens after head-on crash near Elmhurst

A head-on collision near west suburban Elmhurst closed down part of the Kingery Highway early Wednesday.

About 1 a.m., a mid-sized SUV and a U.S. Postal Service semi truck collided in the northbound lanes of Route 83 between I-290 and Frontage Road in unincorporated Elmhurst, according to a statement from the Addison Fire Protection District.

The SUV had crossed into oncoming traffic and was driving the wrong way when the collision occurred, according to fire officials and the DuPage County sheriff’s office.

The driver, a man in his 30s, was pinned inside the vehicle for about 40 minutes and had to be extricated, fire officials said. He was airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove in critical condition. The driver of the semi was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in good condition.

The collision also caused an 80-100-gallon diesel fuel leak, fire officials said.

The northbound lanes of Route 83 were closed after the crash, but the sheriff’s office said the road had reopened by 12:45 p.m.