Passenger in I-57 crash says seat belt saved his life; pickup driver charged

The driver of a pickup truck was charged with multiple driving offenses after a single-vehicle crash Friday morning closed lanes on Interstate 57 near south suburban Peotone.

A man who was riding in the truck at the time of the crash said wearing his seat belt likely saved his life, according to his family.

About 9:20 a.m., 32-year-old Darrion Hardemon of Chicago was driving a Ford F-150 north near Harlem Avenue when he lost control, crossed the center media and overturned, according to Illinois State Police. The crash caused all northbound lanes to be closed for several hours while authorities investigated.

A 41-year-old Riverdale man who was a passenger in the Ford was taken to a hospital for treatment and released, according to Chris Burton, the man’s brother-in-law.

“He’s doing alright,” Burton said. “The first thing he said to me when I saw him was the seat belt saved my life.”

Burton said he contacted the Sun-Times and shared a photo of the scene of the crash to remind people to always wear their seat belts.

“Not everyone does it,” Burton said.

The driver, Hardemon, was airlifted from the scene to a hospital with serious injuries, according to state police. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, police said.

Hardemon was charged with driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane usage and not wearing a seat belt, state police said.

The crash remained under investigation Friday afternoon.

All lanes were back open by 12:30 p.m.