Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Terry Emerick was killed in an accident near the 57-mile marker west of Vandalia on Interstate 70 in Fayette County. Officer Emerick had stopped a semitrailer on the shoulder of the roadway when his patrol car was struck by another semitrailer, causing fatal injuries. Officer Emerick had served with the Illinois Commerce Commission Police for over two years. He had previously served with the Hillsboro Police Department for two years and as a deputy and probation officer in Fayette County. Officer Emerick was survived by his wife and 3-month-old son. In 2007, a portion of Illinois Route 185 between Hillsboro and Vandalia in Montgomery County was designated the Officer Terry J. Emerick Memorial Highway in his honor.
Survivors
Officer Emerick was survived by his wife and 3-month-old son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-B583C2F1- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Emerick gave the Illinois Commerce Commission Police 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Emerick.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Terry Jay Emerick is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Terry Jay Emerick's cause is highlighted.
How Terry Jay Emerick Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Terry Jay Emerick is highlighted in May.