3 killed in weekend crashes along Highway 111 in Pontoon Beach

PONTOON BEACH, Ill. – Three people from Granite City died in separate crashes over the weekend in Pontoon Beach, Illinois.

According to Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic, the first crash happened just before 8:50 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, on a stretch of Highway 111 just south of the Interstate 270 interchange.

The police chief said Barry McGrew was pushing his bicycle westbound across the southbound lanes of the highway close to Engineer Road when a GMC van struck him. McGrew was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was 69.

The second crash occurred around 10:50 p.m. at Highway 111 and Timberlake Drive.

Modrusic said Cole and Morgan Whitford were riding a Harley Davidson southbound when the motorcycle struck the front driver's side of a Chrysler Pacifica van that was turning left from Timberlake to go north on the highway.

The couple was ejected from the motorcycle and rushed to a local hospital, where they both died. Cole and Morgan were 29.

The Pontoon Beach Police Department, Madison County Coroner's Office, and Illinois State Police's accidental reconstruction team are investigating both crashes.