Nancy Heil-Schaffner Fatally Struck by Vehicle in Jackson County, Illinois on November 17, 2025

On November 17, 2025, Nancy Heil-Schaffner, a 74-year-old resident of Carbondale, Illinois, was fatally struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross N. Reed Station Road near Carbondale. According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Heil-Schaffner was walking along the southbound shoulder when she was hit by a northbound black 2021 Hyundai operated by 30-year-old Alex Scott of DuQuoin.

Emergency responders, including a Carbondale detective who witnessed the crash, rendered immediate aid until ambulance services arrived. Heil-Schaffner was transported to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The incident remains under active investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit, with assistance from the Carbondale Police Department, Jackson County Ambulance Service, and Jackson County Coroner’s Office.