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Teacher from Des Plaines dies in I-294 crash

A 54-year-old Des Plaines man was struck and killed by a semitrailer truck on the Tri-State Tollway Saturday morning, authorities said.

The victim, Jeffery R. Komada, was standing outside his vehicle after being involved in a chain-reaction crash in the southbound lanes just after 10 a.m., according to Illinois State Police. ABC 7 Chicago reported that Komada was helping another driver.

That's when a Peterbilt truck tractor driven by a 63-year-old LaPorte, Indiana, man approached and struck Komada, his car, and another car involved in the original crash, police say.

Komada suffered serious injuries and was taken to Advocate Lutheran Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was pronounced dead.

ABC 7 said Komada had been a teacher at Taft High School for more than 30 years and was most recently the school's director of technology.

It all began when a Ford Windstar minivan stalled out, causing Komada's Honda CR-V to rear-end the Ford, and a Volkswagen Tiguan to rear-end the Honda.

The 38-year-old female driver of the Volkswagen and a 4-year-old girl ended up in the back seat of the Honda, police said. They said more information on the pair was not available Saturday afternoon.

Police hadn't cited or charged anyone involved in the crash as of Saturday afternoon, but officials said their investigation was expected to continue for the next several days.

ABC 7 said Taft Principal Mark Grishaber issued a statement that said Komada "was an esteemed colleague and he was a friend to everyone in the building."

"Last year he was one of our teachers who was Educator of the Year," Grishaber said. "He was one of the kindest people I have ever met. He will be missed."

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