Third Child Dies After Crash That Killed Pregnant Mom, Toddlers

UNINCORPORATED BEECHER, IL — A 6-year-old boy has died days after a horrific crash in unincorporated Beecher that also claimed the lives of his pregnant mother and little brothers. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Owen Schmidt was pronounced dead at 2:39 a.m. Thursday at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago.

Owen had been in a medically induced coma since the Monday morning crash, police said. His 4-year-old brother, Weston, died of his injuries on Tuesday evening. Eighteen-month-old Kaleb Schmidt and mother Lindsey Schmidt, 29, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

The Will County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Lindsey Schmidt was pregnant with her fourth child at the time of her death. She was taking the children to vacation Bible school at a church just blocks from the family's Beecher home at the time of the crash. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Police said the Schmidt family's Subaru Outback was struck by a Chevy S10 pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign near Corning Road and Yates Avenue just after 8:30 a.m. Monday. The driver of the pickup, a 25-year-old man, underwent reconstructive surgery Monday for a laceration to his arm.

Police have not released the man's name, although a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office said charges are pending. She told ABC Chicago that investigators will examine the man's cell phone to determine if texting was a factor in the tragic crash.

Community members held a vigil for the Schmidt family Wednesday night in Beecher. A donation fund for the family has been set up at First Community Bank and Trust. Checks should be made payable to The Schmidt Family Fund and delivered to either the bank's Beecher or Peotone locations. Checks can also be mailed to PO Box 457, Beecher, IL 60401.

Schmidt family photo via Becky Broderick of Broderick photography.