By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

Illinois State Police handled a two-vehicle accident on Route 116 east of Pontiac Tuesday morning, sending one woman to the hospital with critical injuries.

According to a press release from District 6 State Police in Pontiac, 24-year-old Alexia Martinez of Chicago was driving southbound on 2100 East Road, while 81-year-old Willard Jakob of Clifton was eastbound on Route 116. The preliminary crash investigation suggests Martinez disregarded the stop sign that controls the intersection and entered Route 116 in front of Willard. Willard’s Peterbilt truck hit Martinez’s Hyundai Sonata on the passenger side, causing extreme damage to the car.

Martinez was taken to OSF Saint James – John W. Albrecht Medical Center before being transferred to St. Francis in Peoria where she remains in critical condition.