Breaking News
Benld native Ryan Roach killed in car accident
(By KMOV.com)
Ryan Roach, the 26-year-old son of Gary and Sheila Roach, was killed early Friday morning on Highway 40 (I-64) where a female driver drove onto the eastbound lanes and wrecked into Roach’s car after the driver ahead of Roach apparently swerved out of the way. In addition to his parents, he also leaves behind two younger brothers.
Both Roach and the female driver were driving alone and the female driver, also age 26, survived the accident but remains in the hospital with stable but critical injuries.
Roach was driving a red Plymouth Breeze and the woman was driving a Jeep Cherokee when the accident occurred. The Plymouth caught fire immediately, reports say, and Roach was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges have been filed against the female driver at this time.
Ryan grew up in the BenGil area and was a 2005 graduate of Gillespie High School. He had just recently moved into an apartment in Collinsville and could have been on his way home from an event or a meeting a report says.
He had enormous talent in the music industry and was a deejay. He deejayed multiple events at Gillespie High School and was the master of ceremonies for multiple pageants across the BenGil area.
Also known as “DJ 2 Time”, he held karaoke at taverns across the area and spent his free time playing with a worship band or dancing. Roach played with Harvest Ministry out of Troy, IL and was a member of a dancing group called the Kahok Dancers. “We served in ministry together in the name of Jesus with many, many people, in several states and for several years,” Tim Price said of Ryan in a blog post on Harvest Ministry’s website. “He knew people’s names, he smiled a lot, he was loud, and he made memories. He loved to lead and was willing to serve. Ryan, you’re my buddy.”
A Facebook page memorizing the life of Ryan started trending all over the social media platform on Friday and gained over 1,000 “likes” the very first day. Page administrators said it was tearing them up by how much support the page has received. Just a few days later, the page topped 1,500 “likes” and is continuing to grow at an alarming rate.
In an interview video from the Facebook page, Ryan said he started playing the drums at 12 years old. He said his strength was being around a crowd. “I can get crowds jumping up and down,” he said.
Roach had recently been hired by Millennium Productions as a professional disc jockey. The company remembers Ryan as a “wonderful person and true professional.” They continued by saying Ryan brought awesome energy into the workplace and they loved every minute they were around him. “You will be greatly missed by us all,” they closed.
Friends remember him as the person who would do anything for anyone. They referred to him as the most charismatic guy with a massive heart. Shane Moore told St. Louis Today Roach had just received a verbal contract for a record label for a single. “The ducks were getting in a row for him,” Moore told STL Today.
The memorial page has posted countless photos and videos of Ryan doing what he loved to do – make music, sing, and hang with his friends. The page started a fundraiser Saturday to help Ryan’s family with funeral and headstone expenses. Former Disney Animator, Terry Naughton, drew a memorial of Ryan and the page is selling the photos for $20. Naughton even offered to autograph the exclusive print for anyone who donated over $50.
If you wish to help Ryan’s friends in any way, contact them via the Facebook page. Funeral arrangements have been released. The visitation and memorial service will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 14th at United Methodist Church in Mt. Olive. Read the obituary for more information.
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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.
The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.
Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds.
“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”
Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.
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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.
Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.
The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.
The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”
The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.
“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.
The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.
The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.
