7 people were killed, including 5 children, after a wrong-way driver caused a head-on car crash in Illinois, police say

By Michelle Watson, CNN

At least seven people are dead, including five children, after a head-on car crash on I-90 in northern Illinois, state police said.

The crash involved a wrong-way driver, according to state troopers who responded to the scene just after 2 a.m. Sunday.

A van and a car hit one another head on, and both vehicles “became fully engulfed” by fire, state police said in a news release.

“There are seven confirmed fatalities at this time; one adult female and five children from the van and an adult female from the passenger vehicle,” the release said.

The crash was on I-90 westbound near milepost 33.5 in McHenry County, north of Chicago and near the Wisconsin border, authorities said.

At least one additional person was airlifted to a hospital for “severe injuries.”

Police will provide an update “once more information becomes available,” the release said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.