A Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior was killed in a single-car crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway in Calumet City early Sunday.
Illinois State Police said Monday they found Tom Mya Lyons, 18, on the Sibley Boulevard ramp northbound to Interstate 94 around 4:30 a.m., and she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. She was the sole passenger in the vehicle.
No further information was immediately available, police said.
The crash followed Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s prom with the theme A Night of Enchanted Elegance at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago that lasted from 8 p.m. to midnight, according to the school’s website.
“Tom Mya was more than just a student — she was a vibrant member of our community, a loyal friend, a dedicated classmate, a committed teammate and a positive presence throughout Homewood-Flossmoor High School,” Principal Clinton Alexander said in a statement. “Her energy, kindness and spirit touched the lives of many, and her absence will be deeply felt by us all.”
A Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233 statement said Lyons was a dedicated member of the school’s step dance team, which ended its season with a first place win in their division last month.
“Let this time of sorrow bring us even closer as a school community. In moments like these, it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves and one another,” Alexander said in the statement.
The district said members of its crisis team will be available to help students and staff who are grieving or otherwise struggling with the loss of Lyons.
Support will be available in each of Tom Mya’s classes Monday and Tuesday, the district said. There will also be designated spaces in both the high school’s buildings for crisis team members to meet with students.
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