Several communities have been left reeling after two students from Chicago’s suburbs were killed in a head-on crash near Southern Illinois University’s Carbondale campus Monday morning.
The crash occurred on Illinois Route 51 as the teens were headed to an early-morning class at the school.
Frank Martinez, 18, and Wolfgang Gustaveson, 19, were students at SIU’s School of Automotive studies, according to school officials.
They were on their way to class when their vehicle collided head-on with a truck near campus. Both students were taken to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. The driver of the other truck was also hospitalized in serious condition.
“Both of them were very bright, good students, outstanding performers, (with a) real passion for the automotive industry,” professor William Ellis said. “It’s a very somber day.”
Classes were canceled at the automotive school after the collision, according to officials.
Ken Adkins, a tech ed teacher at Maine East who taught Gustaveson, a Park Ridge native, called him an “absolutely wonderful” young man who had a bright fugure.
“Wolf was an absolutely wonderful young man, very talented. He loved fixing things,” Adkins said. “No challenge was too bit for Wolf. He’d troubleshoot, and that’s what I really admired about him. He was truly gifted.”
William Greenwald, another of Gustaveson’s teachers, also said that he was a well-liked student.
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“It wasn’t just the tremendous potential that Wolf had. It was also that he was well liked, even being named homecoming king,” he said.
There has been no immediate word on what caused the crash, but Liv Owens, Wolfgang’s former girlfriend, said that the world has lost something incredible after his death.
“He was a beautiful soul,” she said. “He was hilarious, very enthusiastic about everything he loved. He loved his family so much.”
