Mathew F. Wheeler, 29, killed, after he is struck by a SUV, driven by a 35-year-old woman, while walking on Illinois 49 near Fithian.

Modified Date: 
Wed, 09/24/2014 - 11:28am
Accident Date: 
Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Pedestrian killed in western Vermilion County identified.

A Champaign man was killed in western Vermilion County Thursday night as he walked on a state highway.

A Champaign man was killed in western Vermilion County Thursday night as he walked on a state highway.

The Vermilion County Coroner identified the man as Mathew F. Wheeler, 29.

Mr. Wheeler was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:22 p.m., Johnson said. An autopsy was to be done today.

Johnson's office and Illinois State Police continue to investigate the accident, which happened at 9:17 p.m. on Illinois 49, a quarter mile north of Vermilion County Road 2000 N. That's about two miles northwest of Fithian.

Authorities said Mr. Wheeler was walking south on the road when he was hit by a woman driving a Ford Expedition north.

“It was a dark, stormy night,” Johnson said, adding that Mr. Wheeler had been visiting friends in Armstrong and was walking home.

No tickets have been issued to the 35-year-old driver, whose name has not been released by police.

People Involved: 
Mathew F. Wheeler
Roadway: 
Illinois 49

Comments

I am friends with Matthew's father and according to him the lady did not know at first what she had hit. She circled around a few times but he was thrown so far into the field it wasnt until she called for a deputy that they found him.

Why did it take two hours to dispatch an officer to the scene? If the lady hit him at 9:15, why was he not found sooner? When did she call the dispatcher, two hours after she ran over him? I would think that a person in sober shape, would know what they hit. A person should know if they hit a horse or a person!

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