Man Killed Pickup-Semi Crash on Rt. 53

A 68-year-old man was killed Thursday night when his pickup truck was T-boned by a semi-trailer truck at Chicago Street/Route 53 and Schweitzer Road in .

Charles M. Tabaka, of Ivesdale, Ill., was pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m. at in Joliet, according to the Will County Coroner's Office.

Two passengers in Tabaka's truck were also injured, Chief Michael Trafton said. One was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in very serious condition and the other was being treated for numerous broken bones at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

Tabaka was in town for the and staying at the track's campground, Trafton said. The group was going out to dinner and Tabaka was attempting to make a left-hand turn from Schweitzer onto southbound Route 53 when he pulled in front of the semi truck, which was headed northbound on Route 53, the chief said.

The semi driver attempted to swerve away but ended up T-boning the driver's side of Tabaka's pickup, Trafton said.

It's not known if alcohol might have played a role in the accident. The results of toxicology are pending, Trafton said.

That intersection was the site of a fatal motorcycle accident earlier this year and a collision that resulted in very serious injuries last year, Trafton said. The intersection is a two-way stop, with stop signs only on Schweitzer Road.