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October 14, 2008

The Ambulance Has Already Left the Scene of the Accident, as Police prepare to examine the crash.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo
Two Children Struck by Van Leaving School

Holmes Elementary School at 508 North Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park was an alarming sight as police and fire departments responded to the calls of children being hit by a vehicle. It was first thought that three children were hit by car crashing through a barricade of some type.

When police and fire arrived at the scene they found two children who had been hit by an older driver, believed to be
a grandparent of a school child. It is thought that the driver
hit the gas instead of the brake. The van crashed into a parked car, destroyed a parking sign and headed to the sidewalk where
students were walking home.

The injured young girl has already left in the ambulance, injuries unknown but not fatal. The young boy in the orange shirt (center) was hit by the
fence the van struck.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo

The van hit a young girl on the sidewalk, just missing other
students, threw her to the side, continued forward onto the
lawn and then turned back toward the sidewalk. Teachers
watched helpless to stop the incident. The van then struck
a border fence by the school and crashed it to the ground.
The fence, being hit by the van, smashed into a young boy
and threw him down.

The young man, whose mother is a nurse, walked away with
his mom. He was lucky, his family lucky, and the little girl
in the ambulance is expected to recover as well. Many
students could have been injured seriously, but they too were
lucky today.

A few years ago a car crashed into a kindergarten on
Ridgeland Ave., perhaps barriers would be a good idea at
all schools. The barriers could be artistic and fit with
the current architecture, but they should be examined
(trees also work well...).
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