Sparta man fatally injured in Blair Road wreck

<p class="p1">SPARTA - A 68-year-old Sparta man was fatally injured in a two-vehicle accident on Wednesday in front of Bockhorn AG Inc., located between Sparta and Steeleville.

<p class="p1">According to the Randolph County Sheriff's Office crash report, a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by 71-year-old Marion Schupbach of Sparta, was traveling west on Blair Road and slowed to turn into the parking lot of Bockhorn AG.

<p class="p1">Schupbach told law enforcement as he was beginning his turn, he noticed a 2001 Ford Ranger - driven by Larry Wheat - approaching from the east as it topped a hillcrest.

<p class="p1">As Schupbah turned back toward the westbound lane, the Ranger crossed the centerline and collided with the Silverado head-on.

<p class="p1">On Wednesday night, a member of Wheat's family sent the newspaper a Facebook message asking that the Ranger's driver not be identified in the Herald Tribune's account of the story.

<p class="p1">Other family members later identified Wheat as the driver on the newspaper's Facebook page.

<p class="p1">Wheat was taken to Sparta Community Hospital with critical injuries. Randolph County Coroner Randy Dudenbostel told the newspaper Wheat passed at 2:47 p.m. in the hospital's emergency room.

<p class="p1">"He had some pretty massive injuries," Dudenbostel said.

<p class="p1">An accident reconstructionist with the Illinois State Police was requested and investigated the accident, which was reported at 2:30 p.m. with Randolph County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Price responding.

<p class="p1">The Sparta Fire Department also responded to the accident.

<p class="p1">The ISP, Randolph County Sheriff's Office and the Randolph County Coroner's Office continue to investigate the incident.