Illinois New Father Killed in Motorcycle Crash While Heading Home to Bring Baby From Hospital

A heartbreaking tragedy has left a young mother grieving the sudden loss of her partner, Dennis Lewis, who died in a motorcycle accident just days after welcoming their newborn daughter.

Lewis, 35, was on his way home to pick up his partner, Amberly Trocke, so they could bring their baby girl, Harley, home from the hospital. He never made it back. Now, Trocke is left to raise two children on her own, navigating life without the man she loved.

The fatal crash occurred at approximately 2:35 p.m. on July 18, 2025, in Lake County, Illinois. According to a Facebook statement by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the scene where a motorcyclist was fatally injured.

Witnesses reported that Lewis, who was riding westbound and had a green light, was struck by a semi-truck making a left turn in front of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The driver of the Peterbilt was uninjured and is cooperating with the investigation,” the sheriff’s office confirmed. The Lake County Coroner’s Office later stated that Lewis died from “blunt force injuries of the head and neck.” An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

Speaking to People, Trocke revealed that Lewis had gone to visit their newborn daughter earlier that day. Though she had already been discharged from the hospital, he wanted to be there for Harley. “He wanted her to know we were there and not be alone,” she said.

Lewis had planned to return home before picking up Trocke and her older daughter to bring Harley home around 4 p.m. He even mentioned stopping for lunch. But when time passed and he still hadn’t returned, Trocke grew anxious.

As she was driven to the hospital by a friend, she began calling nearby medical centers, worried but not yet expecting the worst. “He was not the kind of person you had to worry about,” she said. “So, I knew in my heart something was wrong.”

The confirmation came through a devastating call from Lewis’ mother, who had been informed of an accident. Police later met Trocke at her home to deliver the news. “I was just screaming, crying, and I called my mom,” Trocke recalled.

In the aftermath, she discovered that Lewis had been planning to propose. “It just hurts that we didn’t get to finish that part of our life,” she said. “We were made for each other.”

To support Trocke and her children, Lewis’ cousin Brianna Vance launched a GoFundMe campaign. “Dennis was a kind, hardworking, and loving man… We want to honor him by ensuring his baby girl is surrounded by the support he would have given her every day,” the family wrote.