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7 dead, including 5 children, in wrong-way crash on northern Illinois interstate

Police said a 22-year-old woman was driving the wrong way on I-90 "for unknown reasons." Her vehicle struck and killed Lauren Dobosz, 31, of Rolling Meadows and 5 children ages 5-13. Lauren's husband Thomas, 32, was driving the van and was seriously injured.

Associated Press
Associated Press
2 min read
7 dead, including 5 children, in wrong-way crash on northern Illinois interstate
State police said a van occupied by a mother and her 5 children were traveling the wrong direction westbound on I-90 this morning when they struck another vehicle.

Update 3: Additional details about the incident, including GoFundMe information for the family, can be found here - Rolling Meadows father the sole survivor of wrong-way crash that killed 7 on I-90

Update 2: After investigation, this story has changed significantly. The changes have been made below.

HAMPSHIRE, Ill. (AP) — A crash involving a wrong-way car on an interstate in northern Illinois left seven people dead Sunday, including five children, authorities said.

The crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Interstate 90 in McHenry County, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Chicago.

Lauren Dobosz, 31, of Rolling Meadows and five children, all in a Chevrolet full-size van, were killed, according to Illinois State Police. The children were ages 5 to 13.

Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, was driving an Acura TSX and also died, police said.

Fernandez was driving in the wrong direction “for unknown reasons” before striking the van in the westbound lanes of I-90, police said, adding that both vehicles were “engulfed in flames.”

The driver of the van, Thomas Dobosz, 32, was seriously injured.


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