According to a fundraising page for the family, Thomas Dobosz “has earned his angel wings and is now with his amazing wife Lauren and precious children.” The Dobosz family was riding in a truck on Interstate 90 en route to a family trip to Minnesota at about 2:11 a.m. on Sunday when a wrong-way driver hit 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, police said. Both vehicles burst into flames on impact. Another 13-year-old who was 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 Dombos, Lauren’s husband, was driving the van and was initially taken to hospital with serious injuries from the crash. Illinois State Police investigators are working to determine why the driver, Fernandez, was going the wrong way. Autopsies are expected to be performed in the coming days. Community Unified School District 15, which the children attended, said in a news release: “We are just saddened and in shock and mourning at the tragic loss of five students and one parent.” Mental health professionals will be on hand throughout the week to provide assistance to anyone dealing 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. Meanwhile, a community is left to mourn the loss the tragedy left in its wake.
