Woman dies after hitting semi making illegal U-turn on Interstate 80

Abby Lynn Vermiere, 24, of Bettendorf, died early Saturday along Interstate 80 in Davenport when the vehicle in which she was riding collided with a semi-trailer truck making an illegal turn across the median in heavy fog, police said.

Vermiere was riding in a car driven by Erik Hayek, 30, of Bettendorf, when the accident happened about 3:30 a.m. in I-80's eastbound lanes about a mile east of the Highway 61 interchange. According to the police report, Hayek's car ran into and under the left side of the semi-trailer as its driver, Hryhoriy Kozachok, 53, of Brooklyn, N.Y., attempted to make an illegal U-turn from the eastbound to the westbound lanes.

Hayek's car was then struck by a sport-utility vehicle driven by Jacob Harris, 19, of East Moline.

Hayek, Vermiere, and a second passenger were taken to Genesis East Medical Center in Davenport, where Vermiere died this morning. Hayek and the other passenger, who wasn't identified, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Harris was taken to Trinity Medical Center in Moline with what police described as minor injuries.

Kozachok, who was not injured, was cited for making an unsafe turn. The median cross-over was marked with a “No U-Turn” sign.

Davenport Police Capt. David Struckman said diminished visibility caused by the heavy fog was a factor in the accident.