Nearly 100 cars lined the perimeter of Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory Tuesday, Sept. 29, as friends and family mourned the death of a Bartlett resident who was killed while riding his motorcycle on Lake Street in Elgin last Friday.
Alex C. Konieczski,23, of the 500 block of Horizon Drive in Bartlett, was driving his Yamaha motorcycle east on Lake Street at more than 90 mph when he rear-ended a vehicle at the Grace Street exit at about 2:27 a.m. Friday, police said.
The force of the collision broke the car’s right rear axle and caused Konieczski’s body to hit the rear window, according to police.
Konieczski suffered from severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.
On his Facebook page, Konieczski had “riding dirt bikes and motorcycles (and) wrenching on my rides” listed as his interests. A 2007 graduate from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, Konieczski had taken and specialized in Harley-Davidson and Honda classes while enrolled in the school’s 75-week motorcycle program, according to a school spokesman.
Friends and family left memorial messages on Konieczski's Facebook page after his death, expressing sorrow and reminiscing on memories they shared. Some recalled him working on his bikes in his garage.
“His life, career, and heart was all about motorcycles, whether it was riding them or taking them apart or even reading books on them — he loved it,” said his younger sister, Juliette Konieczski, who also spoke at his funeral Tuesday morning. “Family and friends have peace knowing that Alex had died for something he loved.”
Juliette Konieczski said her brother rode his Yamaha bike as much as possible.
Konieczski was employed as a mechanic at Woodfield Motor Sports for about a year and a half, said James Door, a sales manager at the shop.
“He got along with everybody. He was really outgoing and willing to do anything,” Door said. “He never had a frown on his face, and he was always happy. Motorcycles were his No. 1 thing. It was his dream job to be a mechanic.”
Door attended Konieczski’s memorial service Monday, and said it was so crowded you couldn’t find a place to park or even walk once you entered the funeral home. Juliette Konieczski said the wake drew more than 400 people and the funeral procession was miles long.
“He was gentle and easy to everyone,” Door said. “He was probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”
Juliette Konieczski said her brother kept in touch with friends from kindergarten, even after some had moved away.
“I never knew so many people cared about my big brother,” she said. “But I realized it was because Alex cared about so many people.”
Konieczski is survived by his parents, Nora J. Charles and Leonard A. Konieczski; his sisters, Roxanne and Juliette; and his grandmother, Sophia Konieczski.
After the collision, Konieczski’s motorcycle continued sliding down the roadway another 300 feet and came to a stop near the overpass at Liberty Street.
Preliminary indications say Konieczski had just left a party on the west side of the city. Police have not yet said if there were other contributing factors in the crash.
Elgin Police Traffic Division and the Kane County Coroner’s Office are conducting the investigation.
