Family of suburban Chicago teen killed after being hit by car sue driver, nearby car wash
HINSDALE, Ill. (CBS) – The family of a teenager killed when an out-of-control car hit a suburban deli has been quiet until now.
The family was emotional as they talked about the spoke about the moments after the crash. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar heard their story.
The car that struck and killed Sean Richards was pulling out of a car wash in downtown Hinsdale. In the new lawsuit, attorneys for the Richards family said there have been similar incidents at that same car wash before.
"We want to make sure no other family has to go through the hell that we're living," said Kristine Richards, Sean's mother.
Public safety is one of the reasons Kristine and Brian Richards said they sued Fuller's Car Wash and the 16-year-old employee who was driving the car that struck and killed their son last July.
"Kristine witnessed the entire event and was laying on top of our son, holding his lifeless body and trying to get help," Brian said.
Sean, an alter boy and boy scout, was walking to the library when a Jeep exited Fuller's Car Wash and fatally hit the 14-year-old.
The Jeep crossed multiple lanes of traffic and violently smashed into a sub shop across the street.
"The Fullers allowed a 16-year-old inexperienced driver to pull a vehicle out from the carwash bay," said Brian Richards. "They are directly responsible for the violent death of our child, Sean."
Bradley Cosgrove, the Richards' attorney, added, "Fuller's Car Wash had a number of incidents, two specific incidents with almost identical factual circumstances, where Fuller's knew that this incident was likely to happen."
After the crash, owner Doug Fuller installed concrete bollards without village permission, he said, to prevent another incident.
Fuller spoke at an October Hinsdale Planning Commission meeting where he acknowledged at least two additional crashes at the carwash.
"Three times in 78 years, it's just a freak of nature thing, but it's never going to happen on my watch," Fuller said during the meeting.
The Richards said the protective barrier doesn't go far enough. Kristine Richards said the Fullers should move their car wash to an area with less foot, bicycle and other sorts of traffic.
"Why did it take our young son's death for them to take any action to protect the public, especially given their knowledge of prior incidents at this site?" she said.
Kristine added her son "should be alive today. He should be finishing final exams, attending swim lessons and getting ready for Christmas with his family."
In a statement, the Fuller family said:
"Now that the legal process has begun, it does not change our heavy hearts and the grief we feel for the Richards family and the other families affected by this accident. While we cannot fathom what they are going through, we pray for the Richards family, all of those injured, and our entire community. The depth of this tragedy is felt daily by our family and employees. Our pledge is to remember and our promise is to serve the community faithfully as we have for decades."
Criminal charges were not filed against anyone related to the deadly crash.