Man killed, woman hurt in 5-vehicle Matteson crash

A 60-year-old man was killed and a woman was injured in a crash involving five vehicles Friday evening in south suburban Matteson.

Andre Beckwith was driving a 2007 Mercedes east on Lincoln Highway at 6:05 p.m., approaching Central Avenue, when the Mercedes slammed into the back of another vehicle, according to Matteson Police Chief Michael Jones and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Mercedes then sideswiped three other vehicles, Jones said. At some point during the crash, the Mercedes’ door fell off and the Beckwith fell out onto the median, while the car kept going for another 200 or 300 yards, authorities said.

Beckwith, who lived in Park Forest, was pronounced dead at 6:52 p.m. at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy found he died of multiple injuries from the crash and his death was ruled an accident.

A woman was also taken to the same hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, Jones said. No other injuries were reported.

The Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team was called to investigate the crash and parts of Lincoln Highway and Central surrounding the intersection were closed for about nine hours, Jones said. The cause of the crash remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon.