Des Plaines Crash Kills Driver, 3 Arlington Heights Family Members

DES PLAINES, IL — Four people, including three members of an Arlington Heights family, were killed in a crash Thursday night in Des Plaines.

Shortly before 9 p.m., Piotr Rog, 21, of Des Plaines, was driving a Mercedes-Benz at about 100 mph westbound on Northwest Highway when he collided with a Chevrolet Impala that was turning into a YMCA parking lot from eastbound Northwest Highway, police told the Daily Herald. The impact spun the Impala at least 75 feet, slamming into an elderly couple in a Toyota Highlander traveling eastbound.

Rog and three family members from Arlington Heights in the Impala — Kevin Crawford, 52, Anita Crawford, 50, and daughter Kirsten Crawford, 20 — were killed, police said.

Kevin Crawford — the Arlington Heights insurance agent driving the Impala — and Rog died at the scene, the Herald reports. Anita Crawford died later at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, and Kirsten Crawford died during a CT scan at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, the report added.

A passenger in the Mercedes was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in critical condition, and the two occupants of the Highlander were reportedly treated at the scene for minor injuries.

In a Friday morning press conference, Des Plaines Police Chief Bill Kushner described the accident as "the worst I have ever seen" in his 40-year career, the Herald reports. According to Kushner, Rog's Mercedes-Benz was crushed at least 3 feet shorter, and the Crawfords' Impala was damaged almost beyond recognition, the report stated.

Before the fatal crash, the Crawfords were headed to the Lattof YMCA to watch their 15-year-old daughter's soccer match, according to ABC 7 News. The younger daughter, along with a 10-year-old son, were not involved in the accident, and grandparents are caring for them now.

Police said speed appeared to be the cause of the crash, and the accident is still under investigation. At 21 years old, Rog's Illinois drivers license had been suspended on four previous occasions, with the most recent suspension ending less six weeks ago, ABC 7's I-Team reports.

Posts and images on his Facebook page refer to his passion for fast cars, with his final post an attempt to sell a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle.

The crash occurred at 170 Northwest Highway, shutting down the roadway between Mount Prospect Road and State Street until early Friday morning.

More via the Daily Herald

UPDATED (12:20 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17)

Patch Editors Joe Vince & Jonah Meadows contributed to this report.

Photo via Shutterstock

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