ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (WLS) — A Rolling Meadows father hospitalized after a wrong-way I-90 crash that killed seven people, including his wife and four children in Hampshire, has died.
Thomas Dobosz, 32, was hospitalized at Loyola University Medical Center after the crash in McHenry County Sunday. A coach with the Oriole Park Falcons told ABC7 Wednesday that Dobosz died.
Investigators said just after 2 a.m. Sunday, Dobosz was driving westbound on I-90 near Hampshire in a blue Chevy van when the driver of a gray Acura, identified as 22-year-old Jennifer Fernandez of Carpentersville, was driving in the opposite direction and collided with Dobosz’s vehicle head on. Both cars were totally engulfed in flames.
Troopers said they found Fernandez dead on scene, as well as all of Dobosz’s passengers, identified as 31-year-old Lauren Dobosz and five children: two 13-year-old girls, 7- and 6-year-old boys, and a 5-year-old girl.
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Neighbors in Rolling Meadows said four of them were the couple’s kids, Emma, Lucas, Nicky and Ella. The other 13-year-old girl was a friend, relatives said.
The Oriole Park Falcons are a tightly knit community.
The Falcons return to the practice field for the first time Wednesday after that unthinkable crash over the weekend took the entire Dobosz family.
The coach of the team said his faith is what is sustaining him during this hard time.
“The belief in God. That there is a reason for this. That we all are in this together,” said Oriole Park football coach Sam Filpi.
Filpi said the Dobosz family was very involved with the Oriole Park Falcons football and cheer squads, whether it was volunteering, coaching, playing or fundraising.
“I just basically dropped my phone and I just couldn’t believe it,” Filpi said. “We didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know. You don’t know what to do in that situation.”
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Filpi coached two of their four kids and Lauren was the team mom.
“They were always there. And her as a team mom, they were always there. That’s commitment and love of a program, a love of the people in the program. That’s how we felt about them,” he said.
Even after moving 15 miles northwest to Rolling Meadows, Filpi said the Dobosz’ never missed a practice with their unwavering commitment.
“Lauren and Tom were like, ‘Hey, what do you guys need, we got it?’ Or the shed needs to be fixed up, Tom would go fix the door on the shed,” Filpi recalled.
As the Falcons prepare to take the field again, a small reminder of the Dubosz family legacy rests under the scoreboard.
“We are in this as a family, I mean Oriole Park football and cheerleading is a family,” Filpi added.
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