A fundraiser has been started to help a father pay for funeral expenses after his entire family, including his wife and four children, were killed in a head-on crash on Interstate 90 in McHenry County.
The incident happened around 2:11 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 90 near mile marker 33.5, which is west of Route 23, between Marengo and Hampshire.
The Hampshire Fire Protection District, Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts, Genoa-Kingston Fire Protection District and Pingree Grove Fire Protection District responded to the scene with the Illinois State Police.
A preliminary investigation shows a blue 2005 Chevrolet full-size van was traveling westbound on Interstate 90.
A gray 2010 Acura TSX was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes for unknown reasons, state police said.
The Acura struck the Chevrolet head-on. Both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames.
A medical helicopter landed on the interstate at the crash scene.
The driver of the Chevrolet, Thomas Dobosz, 32, of Rolling Meadows, was able to get out of his vehicle.
Dobosz was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood with severe injuries, fire officials said.
The passenger of the Chevrolet, Lauren Dobosz, 31, of Rolling Meadows, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Five children in the Chevrolet were all pronounced dead at the scene as well, police said.
The children included a 5-year-old girl, 6-year-old boy, 7-year-old boy and two 13-year-old girls. All of the children were Rolling Meadows residents.
The driver of the Acura, identified as Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office is in the process of scheduling autopsies on the seven victims.
Colleagues of Lauren Dobosz created a GoFundMe account Monday to raise money for Thomas Dobosz, the sole survivor of the family.
The Dobosz children included Emma, Lucas, Nicholas and Ella. The fifth child in the van was one of the kids’ friends, Kat.
“Lauren always made a great impression on everyone she met, she was full of life, laughter, and always a good time,” Lisa Torres said.
“We’re going to miss you Lauren and your spunky, sweet, sassy kids. We shall shine bright this year,” Torres said.
The fundraiser has collected over $26,000 in a matter of hours since it was created.
All westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near milepost 33 were closed for an investigation. Traffic was diverted off at Anthony Road.
Authorities said all westbound lanes had been reopened around 9:25 a.m. Sunday after being closed for over seven hours.
The cause of the crash was not known and remains under active investigation, police said.