No Charges In Crash That Killed Girl, 5, In Highland Park
UPDATED 09/04/12 1:41 p.m.
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- There is no word of any charges yet in a horrifying accident that killed a 5-year-old girl in Highland Park Monday afternoon.
As WBBM Newsradio's Regine Schlesinger reports, around 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento was walking with her mother and two younger brothers on Central Avenue near Green Bay Road in Highland Park.
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A Lexus jumped the curb and ended up on the sidewalk. Jaclyn was killed.
Jaclyn's mother, Modesta Sacramento-Jimenez, and the girl's brothers – Daniel, 4, and Juan Carlos, 2 – were hospitalized, but not seriously injured. The children were expected to be treated and released, and their mother was reported in fair, but stable, condition at Highland Park Hospital as of Monday night.
The girl's father, Tomas Santo de Jesus, said Monday he was at work when his the accident happened.
"I want to explain the law to the person who hit them," said Santos de Jesus between sobs, speaking Spanish.
An 18-year-old girl, also from Highland Park, was driving the car that hit the family, police said. That person was also treated at Highland Park Hospital, but has since been released.
A witness tells the Chicago Tribune the teenage driver had been driving erratically just before the collision. Another witness told the Tribune the young woman appeared unsteady and at one point, seemed to pass out briefly as she spoke with police.
No charges have been filed as of Tuesday. Police say they do not expect to know for days to come whether charges will be filed.
The Lake County major Crash Assistance team and the Lake County State's Attorney's office are assisting in the investigation, police said.
"Our hearts to gout to everyone involved," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement released by police, adding, "This accident is a parent's worst nightmare and has created a devastating loss."
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
