A man who died in a rollover crash near Harvard on his way to work on Tuesday was a father of two and also leaves behind a wife who is facing a high-risk pregnancy.
The Harvard Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:57 a.m. Tuesday to the 19700 block of Hebron Road in unincorporated Harvard for another fatal crash.
Harvard Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said a 911 call was received for a reported single-vehicle rollover crash with a trapped occupant.
Firefighters arrived and located a small pickup truck on its roof in a field.
The adult male driver was believed to be trapped inside, prompting the dispatch of additional medical resources, including Mercyhealth MD-1 and a medical helicopter.
Paramedics assessed the victim and determined he was deceased due to his injuries, Vucha said.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified him on Wednesday as Omar Estrada-Escobar, 35, of Harvard.
All additional responding resources were canceled and fire crews remained on the scene to assist with operations.
The sheriff’s office said a preliminary investigation shows the 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck was traveling eastbound on Hebron Road east of Route 14 when it left the roadway for unknown reasons.
The GMC, driven by Estrada-Escobar, struck a utility pole and rolled over, coming to rest on its roof.
Estrada-Escobar was the sole occupant of the truck.
Harvard resident Anayeli Rojas said Estrada-Escobar, who was on his way to work at the time of the crash, had his life “tragically cut short.”
Estrada-Escobar leaves behind two daughters — a 7-month-old and a 9-year-old — with another child on the way.
His wife is currently four months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy.
“She has not been able to work for the past year due to medical complications and is now facing this unimaginable loss while trying to care for their children alone,” Rojas said.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help his family pay for funeral expenses and ongoing living expenses.
“Omar was a kind, hardworking man who deeply loved his family. He was their protector, their provider, and their world. Now, we are asking the community to come together and support his wife and children in this moment of heartbreak,” Rojas said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
Vucha said the fatal crash was among four serious or fatal crashes in the western part of McHenry County that occurred in the span of 24 hours.