Fundraising drive for family of Hoffman Estates woman quadruples goal
An effort to raise funds for the family of a 20-year-old Hoffman Estates woman who died in a two-car crash Thursday on Interstate 65 in Indiana, has exceeded its goal fourfold.
Samantha Salvador, a nursing student at Valparaiso University, was in a vehicle with three classmates on their way to a clinical when the crash occurred, according to the university.
Elena Mitchell, a senior at Salvador's alma mater, Schaumburg High School, started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral. The effort has raised more than $16,000, well past of its initial goal of $4,000.
"She was one of the best people I have ever come into contact with," Mitchell said of Salvador. "She radiated kindness. Anyone she knew she was best friends with."
Known to friends as "Sam," Mitchell remembers Salvador as an excellent student who chose nursing as a career out of a desire to help people.
Indiana State Police said foggy conditions early Thursday may have contributed to the crash near Gary.
The driver of the vehicle in which Salvador was a passenger struck a concrete median while attempting to turn left from northbound I-65 to U.S. 20. The green Honda Civic was sent airborne and struck a beige Chevrolet Malibu heading south on I-65, police said.