Munster Crash Victim Was University Professor

NEW LENOX, IL — The Lewis University community was mourning the loss of a longtime instructor on Thursday. Joseph Tomsic, 76, was killed Wednesday when his vehicle collided with a semi-truck on westbound I-80 near the I-355 exit. Tomsic was an assistant professor of Management of Information Systems at the Romeoville campus.

"Joe Tomsic touched the lives of many students over his 17 years of service at Lewis University," the university said in a statement. "He served as a mentor to his fellow faculty members and an inspirational educator to his students. He assisted the university in many ways beyond the classroom, such as serving on a committee addressing the university’s technology."

Lewis is offering counseling services to students and employees in the wake of Tomsic's death. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Tomsic, of Munster, Indiana, was in stop-and-go traffic near New Lenox when his vehicle veered from the left to the right lane and collided with a Freightliner tractor-trailer, Illinois State Police said. Tomsic was taken to Silver Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the truck, a 54-year-old Naperville man, refused treatment at the scene of the crash.

Tomsic's death is another tragedy for Lewis, which mourned the loss of assistant professor of psychology Matthew Lange is January.

Image via Lewis University