Last Monday night at around 10 pm, a 2016 Dodge Challenger and a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe collided head-on on Rand Road in Arlington Heights. Police closed Rand Road between Euclid Avenue and Schoenbeck Road for about 6 hours after the crash.

It resulted in one seriously injured, an 18-year-old from Arlington Heights, and one dead, 21-year-old Samuel Horcher of Des Plaines. Horcher was a student of University of Illinois-Chicago and is remembered by his family and friends as a hard-working and creative spirit. 

Amid the chaos and wreckage after the crash, neighbors and community members viewed the sobering event as an unfortunate reminder of safety and what kinds of accidents can happen at a moment’s notice. Senior Bartek Czerwiec, who lives near where the crash happened, reflects on the circumstances of the crash.

“It’s not a well built intersection,” he said. “There’s always an accident there a few times a year at least.”

A member of the boys’ volleyball team, Czerwiec can recall times when he would have to drive down the very same road the crash happened on to get to and from practice. Furthermore, this past summer’s storms required him to drive on one occasion at night in heavy rains. 

“It’s kind of scary, but it‘s good experience,” Czerwiec said. “But you just have to be a lot more careful with your speed because you could definitely slip a lot [in the rain].”

As he continues driving, as well as attending school and practices, Czerwiec keeps accidents like this in the back of his mind to remind him of the importance of road safety.

“It’s just another reason to slow down and not to speed while driving,” Czerwiec said.