Florida truck driver killed in fiery Geneseo crash

A Florida truck driver was killed in a fiery head-on collision near the Geneseo I-80 exit on Saturday, Aug. 4.

The crash — which involved two semi truck trailers, one serving as a car carrier — occurred at 7:08 p.m.

Geneseo residents reported hearing a “bang” followed by thick plumes of black smoke which drifted northward, leading many to speculate about a possible explosion or fire at one of the gas stations located near I-80.

Instead, state police officials said a 2014 Freightliner box trailer truck driven by Barry E. Barlow, 54, of Panama City, Fla., was traveling westbound toward the Quad Cities when it left the roadway, traveled through the center median and struck an eastbound 2006 Peterbilt semi head-on.

The eastbound semi was a car carrier and was hauling several vehicles. Upon impact, both semi trucks caught on fire.

Barlow was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver of the second truck, Cheyenne O. Burgos, 44, of Palm Bay, Fla., was transported from the scene.

Eastbound I-80 traffic was re-routed on Route 6 for a number of hours following the accident while crews worked to bring the blaze under control and then clean the wreck debris from the road.

Officials from the Illinois State Police, Geneseo Police Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Geneseo Fire Department, Geneseo Ambulance, Med Force, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Henry County Coroner’s office responded to the scene.

State police said the accident remains under investigation.