On Saturday, March 7th, 2020, at approximately 10:45 p.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Lincoln Trail at Commerce Lane.
When officers arrived just after the crash, they located a severely damaged, black Mercedes passenger car resting on its side against a utility pole. Officers rendered aid to the critically injured driver of the Mercedes; however, he died at the scene.
The driver has been identified as Dalano B Smith, 39 years of age, from Cahokia.
Preliminary details showed that Smith’s vehicle was traveling eastbound on Lincoln Trail at a high rate of speed. When the vehicle approached the intersection at Commerce Lane, a Chevrolet Silverado truck was stopped for a red traffic signal in the same lane Smith was traveling. Smith’s vehicle struck the rear of the Silverado; after impact, Smith’s vehicle continued eastbound, striking a utility pole.
The Metro-East Crash Assistance Team responded to investigate the fatal crash. Smith was the sole occupant in his vehicle; the driver and passenger of the Silverado were not injured. The investigation continues; it is unknown if drugs or alcohol played any role in the crash.