The dad from Illinois whose wife, four children, and a young family friend were killed in a head-on highway crash had also died, making him the eighth fatality in the horrific weekend smash, according to the New York Post.
Illinois State Police said Thomas Dobosz was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition after the Chevrolet van he was driving smashed head-on with an Acura TSX that was heading the wrong way on Interstate 90 around 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 31.
Both vehicles became engulfed in flames, killing Dobosz's wife and four children, along with a 13-year-old family friend who was with them and Jennifer Fernandez, the 22-year-old Acura driver. Police released the sad update on Wednesday that the dad was also subsequently pronounced deceased, confirming that all involved in the crash were now dead.
Online fundraiser shares tragic news
An online fundraiser that had amassed more than $100,000 by Thursday also shared the tragic news with a heavy heart. The fundraiser said that Tom has gained his angel wings and is now with his amazing wife Lauren and precious children. The fundraiser asked for people to keep the Dobosz family in their prayers.
Cops said Fernandez had been alone in her Acura at the time of the accident, which is still under investigation. It is unclear at this point why the Acura TSX was heading the wrong way. According to police, Fernandez was pronounced dead at the scene along with all seven passengers in Dobosz's van.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the mother was a cheerleading coach for a junior football team on Chicago's Northwest Side. Her shattered team organized a fundraiser to help the relatives of the deceased family members.
The fundraiser identified the victims as his 31-year-old wife, Lauren Dobosz; their kids, five-year-old Ella, seven-year-old Nicholas, eight-year-old Lucas, and 13-year-old Emma. The teen girl's 13-year-old friend, Katriona Koziara, also died in the crash.
Family had just started traveling to Minnesota for a vacation
The family, from suburban Chicago, had just started traveling to Minnesota for a trip before the smash ended their vacation on a tragic note in rural Riley. A separate fundraiser set up for Katriona said she was in the prime of her youth, and the teen girl was always seen with a smiling face and positive attitude.
According to the GoFundMe page, Lauren always made a great impression on everyone she met as she was full of life and laughter. The statement added that they would miss Lauren and her spunky, sweet, sassy kids.
David Moreno, a neighbor of the Dobosz family, told ABC 7 Chicago that when you find out it is people you have known for many years, it hits a little harder. He said that losing your family in a split-second like that will not be easy for anybody.
