Mother killed in Elk Grove Village crash ID'd by family; several injured, police say

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) -- A major crash in Elk Grove Village left a mother of five dead and several people hospitalized Tuesday night.

A memorial grew Wednesday as mourners left flowers and prayers for the family of the woman, identified to ABC7 as 45-year-old Andrea Garcia.

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Authorities were dispatched to the intersection of Biesterfield and Meacham roads at about 11:22 p.m. Tuesday for a crash involving two vehicles, Elk Grove Village police said.

A mangled black SUV could be seen on the sidewalk, as well as another black sedan with severe damage to the front of the car.

Three juveniles and an adult were in a Lexus sedan traveling northbound when it ran a red light and crashed into a Honda SUV, according to police.

The driver of the Honda was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The driver and three passengers in the Lexus were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and later released, police said.

"It was so bad when I saw the sign that had been bent... unbelievable," said Manhar Parikh, who lives nearby. "This is the worst accident I've ever seen... so sad ... I heard about it and said I just go pray over here and look at it."

A man spoke who spoke with ABC7 said his wife, Andrea Garcia was in the SUV and was killed in the crash. He said they had five children together. He said his wife of 26 years was driving home from work when the crash occurred.

"Now her husband is alone, with these kids to raise... terrible tragedy," said Lorri Filichia who lives nearby.

Garcia's family is in shock. Her adult son brought flowers to the scene of the collision Wednesday afternoon. He held a small piece of wreckage while kneeling in front of a small memorial, and was too emotional to speak with ABC7 on camera.

About 20 minutes away from the crash scene at her home in Des Plaines, family invited ABC7 inside, where they too had built a memorial. It has pictures of Garcia adorned with flowers, candles and an angel.

"I feel really bad for the family," Filichia said. "They're in my thoughts and my prayers every day, and I hope they can move on with this tragedy."

Two high school students who heard about the crash showed up at the scene of the crash not long after it happened.

"It's really horrible to see cars like this," Filip Quczynski, a friend of the victims, said. "It's just totaled and teenagers injured."

They said some of their friends were in the black sedan and they're praying for their safety.

"Some were graduates, just freshly graduated and the other two were about to be seniors, my age as well," Krystian Niziolek, a friend of the victims, said. "Looks pretty bad, I just hope they're all good...I'm keeping them in my prayers tonight."

Authorities closed the intersection at the crash before it reopened about nine hours later, at around 8:20 a.m. The crash is under investigation by the Elk Grove Village Police Department Traffic Unit.

"Every year there are a couple of accidents happen here at the intersection... I don't know why they don't take any steps," Parikh said. "The city should put some camera over here on this intersection and this will catch and stop those who are speeding."

ABC7 has reached out to Elk Grove Village Police to see if charges will be filed against the driver of the Lexus, but have not heard back.