FOX RIVER GROVE, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Throughout Sunday, people stopped by a memorial in Fox River Grove to pay their respects to seven teens killed in a school bus crash 25 years ago.
Seven little angel statues stood by a rock that lists the names of the Cary-Grove High School students who died near the site of where their school bus was hit by a Metra commuter train.
The Daily Herald listed the seven students who died as Jeffrey Clark, 16; Stephanie Fulham, 15; Susanna Guzman, 18; Michael Hoffman, 14; Joe Kalte, 16; Shawn Robinson, 14; and Tiffany Schneider, 15. Only four of the 35 students on the bus walked away without injuries, according to the Daily Herald.
Barrington Countryside Fire Chief Jim Kreher was at the memorial at 7 a.m. —around the time of the crash — as he has been every year since it occurred.
Kreher and his brother Bob, the current Fox River Grove fire chief, both responded to the crash as members of the department.
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Kreher said the incident spurred many safety changes, including how traffic moves at stop lights near railroad tracks like those at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway.
Kreher said he and his wife periodically check on the memorial to keep it looking tidy.
There was no formal ceremony at the site but Kreher said other first responders came out to mark the anniversary and relatives frequently visit on the victims’ birthdays.
The two communities held a blood drive Saturday at a Fox River Grove fire station.