Wrong-way crash on Chicago area highway kills beloved fitness coach

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) — A driver was killed and another hospitalized after a wrong-way crash on Interstate 90 early Wednesday morning.

A 2008 Volkswagen was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-90 near Cumberland Avenue and hit a 2012 Honda around 4:30 a.m., Illinois State Police said.

The driver of the Honda died at the scene. The driver of the Volkswagen was taken to a local hospital with injuries. The road was shut down after the crash and reopened a little before 10:30 a.m.

It was unclear why the Volkswagen was driving the wrong way on the road.

“He was able to connect with people”

The driver who died was identified as Quinn Fraboni, 27, whose sudden loss left his colleagues and clients, with whom he worked as a coach, shattered.

“Obviously we didn’t know what was going on, but it was immediately like … ‘Is everything OK? Cause Quinn is not late,'” said Connor Flahive, who owns Flexx Personal Training.

Flahive thought something was wrong on Wednesday when Fraboni, a beloved coach at the Arlington Heights facility, did not show up for a 5 a.m. session with a client.

The news of his death would shock his colleagues. Flahive said it was “surreal.” 

Fraboni started out at Flexx as a client but then transitioned into a standout coach training clients and lifting spirits.

“The way that he was able to connect with people and be a part of their lives and no matter what they were going through, what he was going through,” said Flahive. “It was like, you walk through that door and it was high-five [with a] smile on his face.”

The team at Flexx put training sessions on pause as they try to cope with the loss. Coaches said they now have one priority.

“Number one thing is that Quinn will be like just ingrained in what we do moving forward,” Flahive said.

Charges related to the crash were pending as of Thursday.