Five children are among seven people killed in a horror crash in Illinois in which a pickup truck collided head-on with another car, both bursting into flames
- The accident occurred approximately 2 miles on Interstate 90 and Anthony Road, 50 miles from Chicago
- According to police, the van was driving in the wrong direction on the freeway
- A woman in the other car also died after both cars burst into flames following the crash
- One survivor was flown to a local hospital, but her condition is unknown
- Police had to temporarily close lanes on both sides of the highway
Seven people, including five children and their mother, died in an accident involving a wrong-way vehicle on a highway in northern Illinois on Sunday.
The accident happened around 2 a.m. on Interstate 90 and Anthony Road near Milestone 33 in McHenry County, about 50 miles from Chicago.
According to the Illinois State Police, a woman and five children were killed in a pickup truck. The driver of the other car also died when the vehicles collided head-on and both burst into flames.
According to the Associated Press, state police said the van was traveling in the wrong direction on westbound I-90.
The identities of the victims of both parties have yet to be announced by Sunday afternoon.
Illinois State Police responded at 2 a.m. Sunday to a wrong-way accident on I-90 and Anthony Road, 50 miles from Chicago, that killed two women and five children
Authorities were forced to close traffic on both sides of the intersection before reopening it around 10:30am later on Sunday
One person, believed to be the sole survivor of the crash, was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries, Illinois State Police told
Her condition is unknown as of Sunday afternoon. An investigation is ongoing.
Authorities were forced to temporarily close lanes on both sides of the freeway throughout the night before reopening them around 11:30 a.m
Grace Coleman, 23, is seen in her booking photo in December 2020 after crashing into the car of a family of five, resulting in the deaths of both parents and the orphaning of three little girls, all aged between one and five at the time
Henry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia, 27, and Gabriela Andrade, 28, (pictured) were killed by drunk driver Grace Coleman in December 2020. Coleman was sentenced to 21 years in prison, as did the couple’s three orphaned daughters, Elena, Emma Sofia and Samantha, who watched and shared victim impact statements
The car accident came a day after 23-year-old Grace Coleman, of Newport Beach, California, was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for running a red light and crashing into the car of a family of five, resulting in the deaths of both parents in 2020.
The young woman crashed her Range Rover Sport into her Nissan Versa while the family searched for Christmas lights. As a result, Henry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia (27) and Gabriela Andrade (28) died as a result of the crash.
Their three surviving children – Elena and her sisters Emma, Sofia and Samantha – who were all aged between one and five at the time – were wearing their Christmas pajamas when the tragedy struck.
The three girls howled after the accident in their wrecked car, and Coleman walked past them to try to leave the scene.
She was arrested by police before she could do so and was found to have drunk nearly three times over.