5 kids, 2 adults killed in head-on car crash in Illinois, police say

An early-morning car crash Sunday on an Illinois highway left seven people dead, including five children between the ages of 5 and 13, police said.

The collision occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on Interstate 90 in McHenry County when an Acura TSX that was driving in the wrong lane struck the front of a Chevrolet full-size van, Illinois State Police said late Sunday.

Police say its unknown why the Acura was driving the wrong way. Both vehicles “became engulfed in flames” in the collision, cops said.

The two adults killed in the crash have been identified as Jennifer Fernandez, 22, who was driving the Acura, and Lauren Dobosz, 31, who was a passenger in the van.

The driver of the van, 32-year-old Thomas Dobosz, was airlifted to a nearby hospital with “serious injuries,” police said.

Authorities haven’t publicly identified the five underage victims. Police said Thomas and Lauren Dobosz and the five children were all from Rolling Meadows, Ill., but have not confirmed whether they were related.

“All westbound lanes of Interstate 90 westbound near milepost 33 were closed for the investigation with traffic being diverted off at Anthony Road; all lanes were reopened at 9:25 a.m,” police said Sunday night.

“The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information is available at this time.”

McHenry County is located in northern Illinois, about 55 miles northwest of Chicago.