WEST FRANKFORT - Two people were killed and two others were seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash about 5 p.m. Friday on Interstate 57 south of the West Frankfort exits.

A southbound box truck or moving van about 25 to 30 feet long left the highway, veered into the median and then drove onto northbound lanes, hitting a pickup truck and an SUV, according to firefighter and witness reports

"It looks like the (two) females (in the SUV) were killed instantly," said the incident commander, West Frankfort Fire Department Lt. Craig Lemmon

"The van driver hit them head-on (and) all three of the vehicles rolled together.

"The SUV was upside-down and the box van was upside-down. We had to do a pretty lengthy extrication because we were on a hill. We had to get the vehicles stabilized before we got the people removed."

The occupants of the pickup truck, a man and a woman, were airlifted by Air Evac Lifeteam.

Officials said the box truck was carrying sound equipment for Bret Michaels, formerly the lead singer for the rock band Poison. He is currently touring under the sponsorship of VH1 for the reality television show "Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels," which includes concerts. Two tour buses later stopped at the accident scene, Lemmon added.

Leyd-jonius Shadowwhawk told The Southern Illinoisan he had been driving behind the box truck for half an hour, and it did nothing unusual until it veered into the median.

Shadowwhawk said he tried to help the accident victims and got no responses from the people in the pickup truck or in the SUV.

"The driver (of the box truck) said he fell asleep at the wheel and didn't know he had (fallen asleep) until the impact," he said.

Shadowwhawk said he talked the truck driver into lying down and tried to keep him calm until medics arrived, which they did "really quick."

The truck driver was treated and released from medical care.

Before 6 p.m., the first of two helicopters landed on a turnaround on the interstate; the second followed shortly afterward. The surviving crash victims were quickly loaded for flight.

However, it was hours before bodies of the deceased could be removed from the mangled SUV.

Lemmon said Illinois State Police accident reconstruction specialists are investigating the crash.

State police had yet to release any information on the crash late Friday.

West Frankfort firefighters and state troopers were assisted by the Johnston City and Benton fire departments, West Frankfort police, Mercy Regional Ambulance Service and Air Evac Lifeteam.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824@thesouthern.com / 351-5824