Driver arrested after crash with IDOT truck blocking Dan Ryan exit ramp

CHICAGO - A driver was taken into custody after crashing into an Illinois Department of Transportation truck that was blocking a Dan Ryan Expressway exit ramp Sunday on the Near West Side.

Just before 2 a.m. a fully marked Chicago police squad car and an IDOT maintenance truck were parked blocking the lanes of I-94 exit ramp towards Roosevelt Road, when a 2005 blue-colored Dodge Caravan failed to stop and crashed into the truck, Illinois State police said.

The driver of the IDOT truck, a 70-year-old man, was inside the truck when it was struck, state police said. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the Dodge, 52-year-old Darrel Sims of Chicago, was not injured, state police said. Sims was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, being in possession of a controlled substance, as well as multiple moving violations.

The IDOT truck was blocking the exit ramp as part of ongoing nightly closures blocking access to the downtown area after widespread looting Aug. 10 in the wake of a police shooting the day before. City officials said the downtown restrictions will remain in place until 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17.