It was an emotional scene at Oriole Park on Chicago’s Northwest Side on Monday night, as children and adults alike gathered for a tearful tribute to a family devastated by a fatal McHenry Crash over the weekend. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez has the story.
A man has died days after the car he was driving with his family was hit by a wrong-way driver in McHenry County, killing his wife and four children, along with two others.
According to a fundraising page for the family, Thomas Dobosz "has gained his angel wings and is now with his amazing wife Lauren and precious children."
The Dobosz family was riding in a van on Interstate 90 on their way to a family trip to Minnesota at approximately 2:11 a.m. Sunday when a wrong-way driver slammed into their vehicle, according to police.
Lauren Dobosz and her four children – Emma, 13, Lucas, 7, Nicholas, 6, and Ella, 5 - all died in the crash, along with two other victims, according to police.
Both vehicles became engulfed in flames upon impact. Another 13-year-old riding in the van, as well as the driver of the car, died at the scene. The driver was identified as Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, according to Illinois State Police.
Thomas Dobosz, Lauren’s husband, was driving the van, and was initially hospitalized with serious injuries from the crash.
Illinois State Police investigators are working to determine why the driver, Fernandez, was going in the wrong direction. Autopsies are expected to take place in the coming days.
Local
Community Consolidated School District 15, which the children attended, said in a news release, "We are simply heartsick, and in both shock and mourning over the tragic loss of five students and one of parents." Mental health professionals will be present throughout the week to provide assistance to anyone grapping with the loss, according to district officials.
Donations are being accepted through the Rolling Meadows Hope Fund, as well as a GoFundMe for the family.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Meanwhile, a community is left to mourn the gaping loss that the tragedy has left in its wake.
