HAMPSHIRE, Ill. (WLS) — Five children are among the seven people killed in a fiery, head-on crash on Interstate 90 near Hampshire early Sunday, according to Illinois State Police.
A vehicle was driving the wrong way on westbound I-90 near Anthony Rd. when it struck another vehicle head-on around 2:11 a.m., state police said. Both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames.
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Seven people were killed, including a woman and five children in the van and a second woman in the other car, state police said.
According to the preliminary investigation, 22-year-old Jennifer Fernandes, of Carpentersville, was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes when she struck a van with seven occupants head on, ISP said.
Fernandes was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
Thomas Dobosz, 32 of Rolling Meadows, was driving the van that was struck. He was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center with critical injuries, according to officials.
Lauren Dobosz, 31, as well as five children, were all killed in the crash, ISP said. The children included two 13 year old girls, a 7 year old boy, a 6 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, according to police.
The fatal crash also caused another one collision.
When a semi-truck had stopped to let a medical helicopter land, a second semi didn’t stop in time and rear ended it, officials said.
The trailer on one of them was torn open and the boxes inside scattered on the roadway.
One person had minor injuries from the second crash.
The crash temporarily shut down both sides of the interstate in McHenry County overnight. The westbound lanes were closed near milepost 33 for several hours, reopening to traffic around 11:30 a.m.
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