Carpentersville woman who killed 7 in wrong-way I-90 crash was drunk behind the wheel: coroner
MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. - A suburban woman who was driving the wrong way on Interstate 90 back in July, resulting in the deaths of eight people including herself, was intoxicated at the time of the two-vehicle crash.
The latest information was released Monday by the McHenry County coroner, Dr. Michael Rein.
According to Rein, 22-year-old Jennifer Fernandez of Carpentersville had a blood-alcohol level of 0.164 — twice the legal limit of 0.08.
No other drugs were found in Fernandez's system, the coroner said.
Fernandez died of blunt force injuries due to the crash.
Rolling Meadows neighbors shocked after mother, five children are killed in wrong-way crash
Lauren Dobosz, 31, along with two 13-year-old girls, a 7-year-old boy, a 6-year-old boy, and a 5-year-old girl were all killed in the crash. Illinois State Police said that Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, was going the wrong way on I-90 in her Acura when she smashed head-on into the Dobosz's van. Driver Tom Dobosz was seriously injured. Fernandez was killed. Nate Rodgers reports.
The fiery crash happened on July 31, 2022, near milepost 33.5 around 2:11 a.m. on I-90 in McHenry County.
Among those killed in the crash were 31-year-old Lauren Dobosz and her four kids — Ella, 5; Nicholas, 7; Lucas, 8; and Emma, 13. A family friend — identified on a fundraising page as 13-year-old Kationa — was also killed.
Tom Dobosz, 32, had survived the crash and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. He later succumbed to his injuries.
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At the time of the crash, Illinois State Police said Fernandez was going the wrong way on I-90 in a 2010 Acura TSX for unknown reasons. She was also killed.
The Dobosz family was on their way to a vacation in Minnesota when Fernandez collided with their minivan in the westbound lanes of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway at Anthony Road, near rural Riley, according to the Illinois State Police.
Neighbors of the Dobosz family along Owl Drive in Rolling Meadows were stunned to hear of the tragedy. One neighbor told FOX 32 Chicago that the little kids would always say hi, and that Tom and Lauren Dubosz took care of elderly grandparents who had lived in the home on Owl Drive for some time.
Neighbors also said both parents were heavily involved in their kids athletic lives of football and cheer within the Oriole Park Falcons organization.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.