Altamont man dies in Sunday morning wreck

By Editor | March 7, 2012 |

An Altamont man was killed in a one-vehicle accident east of St. Elmo early Sunday morning.
According to the Illinois State Police, Matthew D. Manley, 20, was driving a Chevrolet east on U.S. Route 40, about two miles east of St. Elmo, when his vehicle left the roadway on the north side and struck an embankment.
Fayette County Coroner Bruce Bowen, who pronounced Manley dead at 4:38 a.m., said the vehicle came to rest in a creek bed.
The St. Elmo Fire Department responded to the scene for extrication.
The state police said that two minors, ages 17 and 16, were passengers in the vehicle. The minors were able to get out of the vehicle, and Bowen said the minors flagged down a passing car and left the scene.
The coroner said police subsequently found the minors.
Bowen and the ISP continue to investigate the accident.
Bowen said that this is the sixthfatal crash in Fayette County since January, four of them occurring on the past three Sundays.