'She was my love, my best friend, my life': Family, friends mourn 13-year-old killed in I-90 crash

A week after 13-year-old Katriona Koziara died in a crash, her mother reflected on all the good things about her, remembering her as "wonderful, intelligent, caring, talented and loving."

"She was my love, my best friend, my life and bright future," Katarzyna Koziara told the Northwest Herald about her daughter. She was her and her husband Marcin's only child.

Lauren and Thomas Dobosz of Rolling Meadows and their four children were traveling for a vacation - along with Katriona, who was a friend of the family's eldest daughter and also a Rolling Meadows resident - when they were hit by a vehicle going the wrong way on Interstate 90 on July 31. Lauren Dobosz and the children were killed; Thomas Dobosz initially survived but died days later from his injuries. The driver of the other vehicle, Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, also was killed.

Since the crash, Katriona's peers have reached out to Katarzyna to say how much they will miss her, her mother said. In messages Katarzyna shared with the Northwest Herald, her daughter's friends described her as "an amazing friend," "a sweet soul," "the coolest kid we ever knew" and "the best break dancer I ever saw."

The owner of a dance studio where she attended classes for the past four years described Katriona as "positive, respectful, helpful and excited."

"We deeply cared for Kat," Brittany Cederberg, owner of Dance & All That Jazz studio, said in a post on Facebook. "She was a part of our dance family and we will miss seeing her smiling face when she walked into the studio for classes. She will always be remembered."

Cederberg said Katriona was in the studio on July 28, just three days before the fatal crash. The girl was a student instructor for the younger dancers and "loved every minute of it."

One of her dancing instructors, Ryley Mikos, said her passion, love and leadership were an inspiration both to the other program dancers and also the instructors.

"There are no words to express the pain we all feel right now with this tragic news," Mikos said in a Facebook post. "We loved Kat, and from the moment we met her years ago she has been one of our greatest assets to our program."

A GiveSendGo fundraiser for her family to help pay for funeral and living expenses had raised more than $13,300 as of Tuesday.

"Katriona was a fun-loving, athletic young girl that enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and had an undeniable passion and talent for break dancing," family friend Brian Kent said on the fundraiser page. "She was in the prime of her youth and always seen with a smiling face and positive attitude."

Hundreds gathered last week for a prayer vigil and balloon release for those that perished at Oriole Park in Chicago.