Woman Crashes Into Skokie Cleaners, Injures Baby
SKOKIE, Ill. (STMW) -- A woman who put her foot on the accelerator instead of the brake crashed into a cleaners Tuesday afternoon in north suburban Skokie.
No one was seriously injured in the crash, which happened in the 4000 block of Golf Road, police said, but there was structural damage to the building and minor injuries to three people including a baby.
Authorities say the crash occurred at 12:45 p.m. at Kely Cleaners-Laundry. Police did not release information on the age of the driver and said no charges have been filed.
Glass was scattered on the sidewalk and in the parking lot and the interior of the cleaners was in disarray.
Skokie Deputy Fire Chief Jim Walters said the woman lost control of the vehicle while three people were inside. He said the child ended up under the vehicle.
"At this point, we know of minor injuries," he said. "It doesn't appear to be serious.'
The baby was taken to the hospital by his parents and is being kept for observation, Walters said.
He said the building was not damaged structurally and should be able to be repaired.
Chris Ibrahim, owner of the cleaners, was talking to his father in back of the shop when the crash occurred. Three people were in the line of sight of the car, he said.
"It was freaking me out," he said. "I was very scared."
Ibrahim's stepmother was one of those three, and had the baby in her hands.
"When the car came in, it literally pushed the child out of her hand," he said.
The child's father, who was not in the cleaners, backed the vehicle up to learn the child was OK and did not come into contact with the tires or any metal. But the baby was face down surrounded by broken glass, Ibrahim said, and his parents rushed him to the hospital.
"It was terrible," he said. "Thank God the baby is OK."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
