A suburban teen has died and his sister was critically injured in a single-vehicle crash in central Indiana as they returned home from a spring break trip.
According to Lebanon, Indiana police, St. Charles resident Jordan Laskowski was riding in a vehicle on Interstate 65 near mile-marker 135 with his two sisters, his mother and his grandmother when the vehicle crashed, ejecting him and his sister Riley.
Jordan Laskowski was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His sister Riley was listed in critical condition, according to police.
Laskowski’s father Scott called his son “a sweet, kind kid,” and tearfully said he wished he could have said goodbye to the teen.
“I wanna say goodbye to him,” he said. “I wanna hold him. I need five more minutes with my son.”
He described Jordan as an empath who loved hard and who wanted to be an electrician when he grew up. He said that the family was on their way back from a spring break trip when the crash occurred.
Scott Laskowski said that 8-year-old Gracie Laskowski was injured but survived the crash, along with her mother and grandma, and is feeling devastated by the tragedy.
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“Everyone that was wearing a seatbelt survived,” he said.
At Wredling Middle School in St. Charles, red and black ribbons adorned trees and poles, and the entire eighth grade class wore black in honor of Jordan, drawing chalk messages on sidewalks paying tribute to their classmate.
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He had played football at the school, and his dad said he was hoping to play for St. Charles East’s football team next season.
“He started this year and made a big impact,” he said. “I was so excited to watch him play on Friday nights.”
According to Scott Laskowski, an online fundraiser helped raise enough money to pay for funeral arrangements, and is also being used to help pay for Riley’s mounting hospital bills.
After the tragedy that befell his children, Scott says that he has a message to parents.
“Definitely wear your seatbelt, no matter what,” he said. “And tell every parent, hold your kid and tell them you love them.”
