State Police say a 17-year-old suburban Chicago girl was killed Thursday morning when the van in which she was a passenger skidded out of control on I-57 and ran into the rear of a parked semi on the shoulder. 

The victim is identified as Jacquelina Avila of Aurora.  Marion County Coroner Tom Nicolay pronounced her dead on the scene from multiple head injuries.  Police reports indicate the driver of the van, 43-year-old Jose Avila of Aurora, was southbound passing an uninvolved vehicle in the wreck, lost control, skidded across the exit ramp to the rest area, and hit the back of the semi operated by 60-year-old Stephen Lucie of Powder Springs, Georgia.  Lucie was parked on the right shoulder of the exit ramp from the rest area.  After impact, the Avila van skidded back out into the southbound lanes of the interstate. 

There were two other passengers in the van, 37-year-old Maria Avila and 14-year-old Alexandria Avila, also of Aurora.  Nicolay says all three were reportedly unconscious when emergency help arrived.  They were all taken to Salem Township Hospital and later taken to St. Louis University Hospital.  Nicolay says ground ambulances had to be used because of the weather conditions.  The Salem Fire Protection District personnel had to extricate three of the victims.  

The accident occurred at 9:11 Thursday morning.  It was one of ten wrecks reported to the Marion County Sheriff's Department when the interstate turned to a sheet of ice in many locations.  The sheriff's department reports none of the other wrecks involved injuries.  Three other non injury accidents were handled by the sheriff's department on Route 37 south of Salem.  

Most schools closed and numerous events are cancelled as a result of the snow and strong winds.   The Salem Water Plant recorded three inches of snow on the ground and the Centralia Water Plant two inches.  Six to eight inches of snow have been reported in some parts of central Illinois.