UPDATE: Chicago high school teacher Jeffery R. Komada — involved in a rear-end chain reaction crash — had just rescued or was in the process of rescuing a woman crashed in a Volkswagen and her 4-year-old female passenger into the backseat of another vehicle off the roadway to the shoulder.
Komada was killed when a semi-trailer truck hit him and the wreckage from the chain reaction crash.
Komada, who lived in Des Plaines, was the director of technology at William Howard Taft High School.
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Des Plaines police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 10:12 AM Saturday to a report of a crash with injuries and a person down on the roadway on Southbound I-294 And Milepost 41.6 near Des Plaines, Il. Police and firefighter/paramedics received a report that a person was down on the roadway of I-294. Initially first responders were unsure whether the crash involved an ejection or a person hit by a semi-trailer truck or car as the person was inspecting crashed vehicles. The injured pedestrian may have been just as the person was getting out of their car.
A private ambulance crew that stopped at the scene confirmed that a patient was down on the ground after the crash.
The incident was upgraded to an extrication response at 10:15 am. No confirmation that there was any extrication rescue.
Des Plaines Battalion Chief 61 on arrival reported about 6 vehicles were crashed across all lanes of I-294 southbound.
Large debris covered the roadway for about 150 yards.
At least one patient was transported with life-threatening injuries to Level I Trauma Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Southbound I-294 was backed up almost to Golf Rd at 10:55 am, and was backed up to Central Road/Central Parkway near Oakton Community Hospital just south of Abt at about 12:10 pm.
An accident reconstruction investigation is likely underway.
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