NEWS RELEASE
City of Carbondale, Illinois
August 20, 2026
For Immediate Release
CARBONDALE – On August 20, 2026, at about 8:09 a.m., City of Carbondale Police Officers responded to the 1900 block of North Illinois Avenue for a report of a traffic crash.  Officers arrived and found that three vehicles were involved and both north and south lanes were blocked. Officers learned a vehicle traveling north on North Illinois Avenue rear-ended another vehicle causing that vehicle to strike a third vehicle. The driver of the first vehicle was issued a citation for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident. A Civic Alert was sent advising motorists that traffic was being diverted due to the crash. Two individuals were transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.  Carbondale Fire Department also arrived to assist with traffic control. A Civic Alert was sent advising the roadway was reopened when the roadway was cleared. Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact the police department at the numbers listed below. The investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the City of Carbondale Police Department at (618) 549-2121. You may also call the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (618) 549-COPS (2677) or the Murphysboro/Jackson County anonymous tip line at (618) 687-COPS (2677). Anonymous tips may also be made by selecting the “Crime Stoppers” tab on this website’s main page. Please help yourself and your county, its communities, and the university campus by using these numbers if you witness or have any information about a crime. Cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest are also made anonymously. Remember, crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does! For more information about Crime Stoppers, please follow the QR Code.
 
The mission of the Carbondale Police Department is to work in partnership with our community to preserve life, protect human rights, protect property and improve quality of life by providing police service to all in a fair, sensitive, and professional manner.