Funeral For 3 Men Killed In Starved Rock Explosion Held Tuesday

CHICAGO, IL — The funeral for three members of the Rivera Tejada family killed in an explosion near Starved Rock State Park this month will be held Tuesday evening.

The Illinois State Police and legal counsel retained by the family are continuing separate investigations into the deaths of Inmer Rivera Tejada, 39, Rafael Rivera Tejada, 36, and their nephew Guillermo Rivera Tejada, 26. LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch said the men accidentally ignited black powder while fishing, which led to their death.

Family attorney Tara R. Devine told reporters the deaths could have been related to demolition work done in the area a month prior to the incident. Devine said the firm is looking into how much clean-up followed the destruction of the old Route 178 bridge.

The funeral service is from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Martinez Funeral Home, 2534 South Pulaski Road in Little Village.

A GoFundMe page was created by Nathan Rivera, a member of the family, to cover funeral costs. As of Tuesday afternoon, almost $9,000 has been raised.

Rivera wrote in his GoFundMe post that all three men were avid fishers and knew the area well.

"To our great dismay these men lost their lives in a tragic fatal accident that could have been avoided," Rivera said. "On a day that was supposed to be a family fishing outing turned out to be one of nightmares and tragedy."

According to Rivera, the three men leave behind seven children between them.

Those who would like to donate can access the GoFundMe page here.

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