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Texas Crash Left Two Dead And Three Injured Students From North Eastern Illionois

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A car carrying five fraternity brothers from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago plowed into an 18-wheeler in northern Texas Friday morning, killing two of the young men, officials said.

Dead on the scene following the 8:30 a.m. crash were the driver, Victor Maldonado, 18, of Chicago, and David Roman, 23, of north suburban Mundelein, according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Olivia Gonzalez.

Maldonado, who may have fallen asleep at the wheel of the 2006 Chevrolet Impala, was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. Roman, a back-seat passenger seated behind Maldonado, was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m., said Gonzalez.

Three other passengers – David Rubio, 19, of Berwyn; Thomas Kyle, 21, of Chicago; and Seth Amofa, 19, of Chicago – were taken to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, where their conditions had stabilized, Gonzalez said.

All five are members of the Omega Delta Phi fraternity, according to a fraternity spokesman, and were on their way to a fraternity conference in Tucson.

The five were headed southwest on U.S. 54 about six miles northeast of Dalhart, Texas, when the Impala went into the northeast lanes at 8:30 a.m., colliding with a 2010 Freightliner, an 18-wheeler semi, she said.

All five men were trapped inside the crushed Impala.

A 49-year-old man from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a 50-year-old man from Desoto, Texas, inside the truck were not hurt. No citations were issued.

A statement was released about the two on the fraternity’s website:

“It brings great sadness for the Beta Alpha Chapter of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc. to inform everybody that our fellow brothers have passed away. These two stand up young men were on their way to a conference in Tucson, AZ. Today we are asking for your help as their families go through this difficult moment in their lives. Donations are being accepted for the brothers families, all donations big or small are greatly appreciated.”

 

Source: Chicago Tribune

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