The Duneland School Corporation community is mourning the death of eighth grade English teacher Lauren Thompson, who died in a six-vehicle wreck Tuesday evening in Portage that police said was likely caused by a speeding SUV.
Thompson, 24, of Valparaiso, was in her second year as a teacher at Chesterton Middle School, school officials said. Counselors were available for students and staff on Wednesday.
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“Lauren was a shining star on the CMS faculty and was loved by her students and fellow staff members,” said Principal Mike Hamacher. “This is a great loss to our students, faculty and staff members.”
“We are devastated. Our prayers go out to her husband and family. It is with great sorrow that we provide support and comfort to our students and staff,” said Duneland School Corporation Superintendent Chip Pettit.
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Addison Ledbetter, 13, of Porter, called her mom Hilary to pick her up shortly after arriving at school because she was too upset to stay after learning about her teacher’s death.
“If a student was confused about the assignment, she always stopped to make sure everyone understood and she always made lessons fun,” Addison said, adding that included doing projects with her friends. “The whole class was fun.”
In a statement to her students and their families on the Duneland School Corporation website, Thompson said she graduated from Purdue University Northwest in Westville in 2020 and was in her third year as a teacher.
She lived with her husband and their two golden doodles, she said in the post, and her favorite things to do included thrifting, reading thrillers, watching movies and being in the sun.
“I love being an English teacher, as I get to share my passion of learning and reading with my students,” Thompson said in her post. “It is so wonderful meeting my students on the first day and watching them grow throughout the year. I am looking forward to a great year!”
Thompson died at the scene of the crash in which two people also were injured, according to a release from Lt. Rob Maynard, public information officer with the Portage Police Department. The crash remains under investigation.
“The members of the Portage Police Department wish to extend our thoughts and sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased,” Maynard said.
Around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Portage police were dispatched to the intersection of Willowcreek and Lute roads for a motor vehicle crash with injuries. Police discovered that six vehicles were involved in the crash and that in addition to Thompson’s death, another person was alive but unconscious and trapped in their vehicle, and a third sustained minor head injuries.
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Other drivers and passengers complained of pain but did not require transport for treatment of their injuries. The driver with the head injury was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to recover, Maynard said.
The initial investigation shows that a gray 2016 Cadillac SUV was southbound on Willowcreek Road at an extreme rate of speed when it struck the rear end of a white GMC SUV that was stopped two cars back from the red light at Lute Road, Maynard said.
The Cadillac struck the GMC with such force that the GMC was shoved into the rear of a third vehicle and all three vehicles continued completely through the intersection and came to rest on the south side of Lute Road.
In the aftermath of the initial collision three other vehicles that were traveling on Lute Road or northbound Willowcreek were struck in secondary collisions with the first three vehicles. One of these involved vehicles flipped onto its roof and another vehicle came to rest on top of the Cadillac.
The driver of the Cadillac was successfully extricated and taken by medical helicopter for treatment of serious head and internal injuries at a regional trauma center. He has been identified as a 42-year-old Portage man. The cause or reason for the vehicle’s excessive speed remains under investigation, Maynard said.
The crash shut down all lanes of travel for around five hours while the Portage Police Department Crash Reconstruction Team conducted their investigation.
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The Portage Fire Department, Lutheran Air medical services, Precision Towing, Porter County Central Communications Center and Porter County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
