Actually, the distraction was the traffic volume backing up from the next exit because of a festival in St. Charles at that time. There were accidents before we arrived and there were accidents after we left. Drivers are responsible - not people on a sidewalk above the road.
It wasn’t just a festival. It was the biggest event of the year in St. Charles and the 5th Street exit is always a mess on that week-end. Added to that was the fact that westbound 70 was restricted to two lanes due to construction. Announcements were being made all weekend to use either the Page Extension or the 370 bridge instead of the Blanchette Bridge to avoid the congestion.
It will be interesting to see what happens next weekend.