I-90 crash: 5 children among 7 killed after wrong-way driver collides head-on into van in McHenry County
As many as seven people, including five children and two women, were killed in a horrific wrong-way car crash in McHenry County, Illinois, on Sunday, July 31, 2022, according to the state police. Another individual was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.
A vehicle was traveling the wrong way on westbound I-90 at Anthony Rd when it collided with another vehicle around 2:11 am, according to state police. Both automobiles were completely consumed by flames. According to the preliminary investigation, ISP said that Jennifer Fernandes, 22, of Carpentersville, was going eastbound in the westbound lanes when she collided head-on with a van carrying seven people, ABC7 reported. Officials pronounced Fernandes dead at the scene.
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The van that was struck was being driven by Thomas Dobosz, 32, of Rolling Meadows. Officials said he was transported to Loyola University Medical Center with critical injuries. Lauren Dobosz, 31, and five children died in the crash. According to ISP, the children include two 13-year-old females, a 7-year-old boy, a 6-year-old boy, and a 5-year-old girl.
It was reported by the officials that that deadly crash caused another accident. When a semi-truck halted to allow a medical helicopter to land, a second semi-truck failed to stop in time and rear-ended it, according to officials. The trailer on one of them had been torn open, and the boxes inside were scattered across the road.
Overnight, the accident shut both sides of the road in McHenry County. The westbound lanes were restricted near milepost 33 for several hours before resuming traffic around 11:30 am.
One of the close friends of Lauren Dobosz expressed his sympathy on Facebook. In his post, he recalled his memories with Lauren and the children. He captioned, "I know you aren’t here anymore but I want you to know that I loved you like the older sister you were to me. I watched your kids grow and flourish since they were born. I know we had our moments, but you and the kids always meant the world to me ever since we were young! RIP Lauren and RIP kids, I will always cherish and remember all the times we had. Tom Dobosz my prayers are with you and with whatever happens, I want you to know that I will always keep every memory we had at heart. Today has been a hard day, but I know they are in a good place. I love and miss you all already!"
Road-related deaths in the US
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021, a 10.5 per cent increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. Among those killed are pedestrians, cyclists, and several others who may have died during a crash, CNBC reported. According to government statistics, traffic-related deaths in the United States reached a 16-year high in 2021.
