Dakari Lomax, a six-month-old infant from Chicago, is being remembered after his life was cut short in a fatal crash on I-57 in Harvey, Illinois.
Illinois State Police said the crash happened at approximately 5:46 p.m. on September 6, when a red Ford SUV traveling northbound near 147th Street left the roadway and struck a light pole. The vehicle then rolled over.
The SUV was being driven by 33-year-old Latasha M. Hope of Hazel Crest. An adult female passenger, four toddlers and infant Dakari were also inside the vehicle. All seven occupants were taken to area hospitals with injuries. Dakari was later pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as six-month-old Dakari Lomax of Chicago.
Illinois State Police said none of the children in the vehicle were restrained in child safety seats.
Hope was released from the hospital and taken into custody after prosecutors approved felony charges including reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence involving death and child endangerment resulting in death. The charges are allegations, and Hope is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Dakari's death has left his family facing an unimaginable loss. At only six months old, his life ended in a crash that also left several others injured.
His family is now mourning a young life that had barely begun, while the investigation and legal proceedings continue.
