BUNKER HILL - A Jerseyville man died in a single-vehicle accident at 9:16 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, in Bunker Hill.

Macoupin County Coroner Brad Targhetta responded to the single-vehicle accident with one fatality in Bunker Hill.

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A vehicle driven by Christopher E. Johnson, 32, of Jerseyville, was discovered at the intersection of East Warren & North Franklin Streets in Bunker Hill at 9:35 p.m. by Coroner Targhetta. Johnson was found alone in the vehicle.

At 8:11 p.m. Thursday, an ISP trooper attempted to stop the driver for a traffic stop. For an unknown reason, the driver fled the stop.

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A short while later, the motorist, driving a 2002 Pontiac passenger car, was spotted by a Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The deputy attempted to stop the unit and the unit fled from the stop at a high rate of speed. The driver was traveling east on Warren Street (Staunton-Bunker Hill Road) at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The unit left the roadway to the north and struck a tree and then caught fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Bunker Hill Fire Department and the driver had to be extricated from the vehicle.

The driver was pronounced deceased on scene by the Macoupin County Coroner. Other agencies on scene were Bunker Hill Area Ambulance, Staunton Ambulance, Brighton Police Department, Bunker Hill Police Department, and Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office. The crash is still under investigation by the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit.

An autopsy has been scheduled and the cause of death will be determined after tests and reports become available, Targhetta said.

The family has not selected a funeral home at this time.

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