Senior At Oak Park And River Forest High School Dies In Car Accident
CHICAGO (CBS)--An 18-year-old Oak Park student died Saturday afternoon after a car accident, police said.
Thomas Hunt, a senior at Oak Park River and River Forest High School, was driving south near Oak Park Avenue and Adams Street around 10 a.m. when he tried to pass another vehicle driving ahead of him in the same direction, police said.
An oncoming vehicle traveling north struck his vehicle as he tried to pass, according to police.
He was pronounced dead at about 5 p.m. after being taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
The Village of Oak Park did not have additional details about the accident, described as a "tragic accident" by Oak Park's communications director David Powers.
The school had counselors available Monday to help students and staff deal with grief, and social workers were speaking to students at the start of each of Thomas's classes, according to the school.
"Thomas is one of three Hunt children to attend OPRFHS and was well known and liked by peers and adults alike," assistant principal for student services Lynda Parker wrote on Facebook.
Hunt, a graphic design student, had designed the yearbook cover for the 2018-19 school year, according to Parker.
"He was considered to be a selfless individual who always thought of others before himself," Parker wrote on Facebook. "Thomas also cared deeply for his sister, who is currently a sophomore at the school and always looked out for her to assist when she needed it most."
Neither of the other drivers was injured in the accident, police said. Oak Park Avenue was closed between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street for nearly five hours on Saturday as investigators gathered evidence and the cleared the scene.
