Tyler Montgomery was just a month shy of his 20th birthday. His dad calls him "an innocent" who put his trust in everybody.
"He was very caring," said Michael Montgomery. "Always cared about others, more so than himself."
His son was one of three teens killed Monday afternoon at the intersection of SR 126 and Schlapp Road in Oswego. The others killed were 19-year old Brian Herrera and 18-year old Alexis Banuelos.
"It's probably one of the most horrific crashes I've seen in the 20 years I've been coroner," said Ken Toftoy, Kendall County Coroner.
Police say the teens' car pulled in front of a semi-trailer that was going at least 55 miles per hour. The tractor trailer was full of sand, unable to slow down despite last-second efforts of the driver.
"[The driver of the truck] felt that they wanted to beat him and not have to wait for him to come by," Toftoy said.
Nearby residents say Schlapp and SR 126 is an extremely dangerous intersection, with cars often misjudging just how fast traffic moves along Route 126.
"It is the most unsafe intersection I've ever seen in my life," said Sandy Diller, who lives nearby.
Tyler had a life-long passion for music and dreamt about a career as a musician.
"He would just listen to music and pick it up at 6 years old, he'd figure out how to play these songs," said Michael Montgomery.
Montgomery and Banuelos both graduated from Plainfield North High School and had been dating for the last few years.
"They loved each other and if there was any grace of God, it was that they went together," said Michael Montgomery.
There is no indication that alcohol or drugs played a role in this crash.
Department of Transportation officials were at the intersection on Tuesday and said no additional signage was needed.
