A new father was killed in a collision with a dump truck while on his way to pick up his wife and baby from the hospital.
Dennis Lewis Jr., 35, died Friday after his motorcycle collided with a dump truck near Libertyville, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. His daughter, Harley Rose, was born just three days earlier, according to a GoFundMe launched to support his family.
According to witnesses, Lewis was on his motorcycle approaching an intersection with a green light when a dump truck made a left turn in front of his motorcycle, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told The Independent.
Lewis collided with the truck and was ejected from his motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lewis died from blunt force injuries to his head and neck, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The truck driver is uninjured and cooperating with the investigation, Covelli said.
Lewis never got the chance to hold his newborn daughter at home, according to the GoFundMe page.
“His sudden passing has left a tremendous hole in our hearts and a heavy burden on the mother of his newborn, who is now navigating the unimaginable: caring for a brand-new baby while grieving the loss of her partner,” the GoFundMe page reads.
The funds will be used to support Harley Rose and her mother, Amberly. The page has a goal of $6,500 and has received more than $4,900 as of Wednesday morning.
“It’s important to us that people understand Dennis didn’t cause this — his life was taken unfairly, just days after he became a father for the first time,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He never got the chance to bring Harley home.”
The crash is under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
