THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JANA WIERSEMA
CHAMPAIGN — A 65-year-old road worker from Danville died early Wednesday morning after being hit by a vehicle on Interstate 74 near Prospect Avenue.
Steven A. Cornett was pronounced dead at 4:45 a.m. at the scene, said Champaign County Coroner Laurie Brauer. Preliminary findings from her office indicate that he died of blunt force injuries after being hit.
Cornett, former Tilton Police Chief who retired in 2017, was a “great guy. He’s a family guy,” Tilton Mayor Billy Wear said this morning.
Wear said Cornett was working for Dan Ribbe Trucking and taught conceal carry classes.
“I grew up with him,” Wear said. They would go deer hunting in Southern Illinois with family and bass fish together.
“He was very likeable,” Wear said, adding that Cornett also was known to “tell a yarn or two” and his father would call him out on his tall tales every once in a while.
“He was just an all-around good guy,” Wear said.
Wear said it’s believed Cornett was moving barriers with other workers on the roadway in the safe lane at the time of the tragic accident.
An autopsy has been scheduled, and the coroner’s office and the Illinois State Police are continuing to investigate the matter.
ISP Troop 7 announced at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday that officers were responding to a crash with a lane blockage on I-74 eastbound in this area, and the road would be shut down for a few hours.
ISP officials later reported at about 6:45 a.m. that eastbound traffic from I-74 at the interchange was still being diverted onto I-57 southbound.
All lanes had reopened as of 10:25 a.m.
