Brother and sister killed in crash with school bus, Illinois officials say. ‘Tragic’

A 19-year-old and his 20-year-old sister were killed when an SUV they were traveling in crashed into a school bus, Illinois officials say.

The crash happened on Monday, Oct. 31, in Kane County. Emil Diewald, 19, and Grace Diewald, 20, were pronounced dead at the scene from blunt-force trauma, according to the Kane County Coroner’s Office.

“This can’t be happening,” said their mother, Wendy Diewald.

The crash happened when the bus had stopped to drop off Lile Lake Grade School students, according to The Associated Press.

More than 30 students were on the bus, and school officials said they were treated and released at the scene to their parents.

The 18-year-old driver of the SUV the siblings were in sustained non-life threatening injuries, and a 17-year-old in the backseat was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, Shaw Local reported.

The siblings were graduates of Central High School in Kane County, according to Shaw Local.

“Grace I miss our nightly readings of poetry and cuddling watching TV in your bedroom,” their mother said in a Facebook post. “You’re not there today... but I’m always here honey. Emil, your hugs are the best. I love the way you play jazz and classical music in the morning. You always see the beauty in things.”

Organizers of a GoFundMe for the Diewald family called the incident a “tragic car accident.”

“Grace was 20 and she had many goals in life and would brighten up every room she was in,” the GoFundMe states. “Emil had just turned 19 and had a warm heart and cared about his family and friends.”

Kane County is about 50 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Brother and sister killed in crash with school bus, Illinois officials say. ‘Tragic’."