BENTON — Fatigue was a factor in the single-vehicle accident that shut down part of Illinois Highway 37 in Benton Monday morning.

18-year-old Anthony Boykin of Benton was eastbound on West Church Street at 9:07 a.m. when he reportedly fell asleep and lost control of his vehicle as he was approaching South Main Street which is also Highway 37. The vehicle crossed the eastbound lane and the north sidewalk and struck a utility pole and natural gas pipe near the intersection.

Due to the natural gas leak, one block in each direction was evacuated and traffic was rerouted around the area by Benton Police Department. During the evacuation, traffic was allowed to proceed around the Benton Public Square, but was not allowed to turn onto South Main Street.

Benton Fire Department assisted with the evacuation while employees from Ameren Illinois repaired the damaged utilities. Building occupants were allowed to return at approximately 10:15 a.m. while traffic returned to normal just after 11 a.m.

Boykin was cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash and Improper Lane Usage.