Great Idea
BonB I hope so too

here is a fundraiser being held for the Family

http://www.indiegogo.com/indiantrailmemorialfund

This is fallacious logic. There is no correlation between the value of a car and how difficult it is to drive.
-Logic Cop

What does the type of car have to do with this?

The type of car, oddly, has everything to do with it as evidenced by the following study and by simply driving around Highland Park and watching how people in luxury cars (particularly black luxury vehicles and SUVs) conduct themselves behind the wheel:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/27/science/la-sci-0228-greed-20120228

"People driving expensive cars were more likely than other motorists to cut off drivers and pedestrians at a four-way-stop intersection in the San Francisco Bay Area, UC Berkeley researchers observed....people behind the wheels of the priciest cars were four times as likely as drivers of the least expensive cars to enter the intersection when they didn't have the right of way. The discrepancy was even greater when it came to a pedestrian trying to exercise a right of way."

Last year, another child was struck in downtown HP by another of our infamous drivers:

http://highlandpark.patch.com/articles/boy-hit-by-vehicle-on-central-avenue

It's time for some serious enforcement of traffic laws in HP. No matter what level of taxpayer the driver appears to be or who they know, they MUST be ticketed. The police should give extra attention to the more expensive cars as the data and simple observation downtown demonstrate.

That said, we have NO IDEA what caused this particular teenager to drive in this erratic manner, so we need to withhold judgment till all the facts are in.

This is a horrific tragedy. My prayers are with both families.

These expensive cars are HIGH PERFORMANCE Cars. They have way too much power and special handling equipment that an inexperienced driver wouldn't be able to understand at 18 years old. That is what the type of car has to do with it.

Standards,

I am curious what special handling characteristics expensive cars have? Are you referring to anti-lock brakes, traction control, collision avoidance systems, rear-view cameras?

Which car is most appropriate for an 18 year old, the 263-hp Mazda, MSRP $25,662 or the 227-hp Volvo at $31,850?

Neither Evan Kane, if you read my other posts I mention that this particular car's value, but there are others for less money just as powerful and that my problem is with giving any 18 year old a high performance car to drive. This particular car had 416 hp, torque of 371 lb/ft at 5,200, 0-60 acceleration at 4.6 seconds (which is probably part of this problem), the car has double wishbone suspension with high mount upper arms, Electronic Power Steering, 8 speed sport direct shift auto transmission with paddle shifters. Yes, I know this car.

Evan kane you are an absolute moron. And Standards, i agree with everything you're saying.

thank you "doesn't matter". Some people just like to get people riled up on these threads. A community can't have a discussion without someone trying to be disingenuous.

Unfortuately, that would just create havoc on the roads outside the shopping area. Not fixing the problem, just moving it. They should have crossing guards standing on platforms in the middle of the streets directing traffic manually like they do in Hong Kong.
That not withstanding, this is a terrible tragedy on all levels. I feel horrible for the Santos family as well as for the driver and his/her family b/c they will have to live with this for the rest of their life as well. It is just a terrible tragedy.

The probability of this tragedy happening is extremely low. You are seeking a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist. There is no data to support that Highland Park is any more or less dangerous to walk in than any other suburb.
-Logic Cop

I agree 100%! See below, where my reply to "what does the type of car have to do with this" was posted. They don't even need to "beef up" the parking. There's plenty. People need to learn to walk a block to get to the store they're going to. For all the time people spend working out, an extra block walk shouldn't be beyond their abilities. If anything, reserve the downtown street parking for seniors, pregnant or new mothers and the disabled.

Not good area to grow old in? Ever try crossing the street in most parts of Chicago itself? It's WAY worse! Highland Park is super safe by comparison. There should be NO problem crossing the streets. The person walking has the right of way - period. Just start walking and the cars will wait. If they don't, let them hit you and you'll get to sue them. It's not that bad.

If you want a good place to grow old, try Sun City or another one of those retirement communities. One thing they could try (but I don't see the spoiled people going for it) is block off the streets in the downtown and MAKE people walk everywhere (like many European towns). Maybe that'll solve your grow old solution when it comes to crossing the streets.

Rich you say, " There should be NO problem crossing the streets. The person walking has the right of way - period. Just start walking and the cars will wait. If they don't, let them hit you and you'll get to sue them. It's not that bad."

1. You've obviously never watched the children without umbrellas standing in the rain trying to cross Elm at St. John's after school. They're school children. In the rain. Without umbrellas. And yet, the drivers go one after another as quick as they can, often not waiting their turn, with wet children in plain site. These are the children of our own community and we don't stop for them. So....there is a problem crossing the streets.

2. Just cross and let them hit you? They will, they have and the results are way beyond anything a lawsuit can repair.

Andrew - I went to Northwood, I could care less about Elm Place! But seriously, I am not talking about that area, I'm talking about the downtown business district. It's not part of this discussion. Sheridan Rd, if that's what you are referring to should probably have a stop sign at Elm Place. But in my opinion most junior high students are not little school children as you make them out to be. Many of them smoke, do drugs, have sex, make pipe bombs, vandalise, and are one step away from high school. They know what they are doing, so this whole thing about them being helpless in the rain like they are 6 year olds is flat out wrong. If you had posted that about me and my friends when I was in junior high decades ago we would have laughed you off. We were fine. We crossed the street when it was time (usually jumping out, causing the car to slam on the brakes and we laughed), that's all there is to it! Good times!

As to getting hit by a car, yeah, in the downtown area at the crosswalks, how fast can they be going to really hurt you? Of course, I don't mean it literally for everyone if they are uncomfortable about it, but personally I do challenge people to hit me. I'm a big guy, and it's my right of way to walk anytime over a car in the cross walk (except on Central at Sheridan going west (on the north side of street) and north/south on First St at Elm Place). If I let them drive as they wish then the terrorists win! ;) So it's not gonna happen. I'm walking.

Let the car hit you and sue them? How fast could they possibly be going to hurt you bad enough? Did you read that a 5 year old child died when the car hit them as they walked on the SIDEWALK??? They were not even crossing a street. So Andrew, this family was doing exactly what you suggested, WALKING from their home on on Deerfield Road on the SIDEWALK on a beautiful summer day and look what happened. This accident happened west of Green Bay, near where VIllage Set was. Did you read that a 5 year old child died when the car hit them as they walked on the SIDEWALK??? They were not even crossing a street. So Andrew, this family was doing exactly what you suggested, WALKING from their home on on Deerfield Road on the SIDEWALK on a beautiful summer day and look what happened. Your statement is contradictory. This accident happened near where the VIllage Set used to be, not in Central Downtown Highland Park. THey showed it on the news this morning, the car is smashed in that building. Apparently the child was under the car, taken to a Trauma Center in Evanston as her injuries were that bad, and she was pronounced dead.

Charges are pending due to results of a ToxScreen if i had to guess, but I don't know. Police withhold charges initially until they are certain as from what I understand its best they charge her correctly initially then have to go back and re-file without enough information.

Seriously people, are you reading what you wrote?

Holly:

The proof is in the pudding. I do not know of any other town that requires four crossing guards at an intersection and this is on the weekend not even necessarily for children. Many people think the stop sign is just a suggestion. And their children have learned that attitude.

It wouldn't change peoples attitudes or driving behaviors.It would move the cars away from the shoppers.Just my opinion.

Besides the obvious, that all a mall would do is move the bottleneck and increase congestion on streets that are not presently congested, you might want to read this case study on pedestrian malls: http://www.indydt.com/Pedestrian_and_Transit_Malls_Study.pdf

-Logic Cop

I bet you a million dollars this girl (if she is a HP resident and Daddy is rich) will get nothing more than probation. Watch.

The papers say 700 block of Central. Do you have better information? If so, let us know.

I saw the vehicle it was actually right where the gym on Central is, where the Sunset Food overflow parking is. So west of Greenbay and the main shopping area.

@ Andrew 700 block is not downtown HP

It happened West of Green Bay near the old Village Set. No where near Central Downtown. The family was on the sidewalk, not crossing the street.

Your logical fallacy is: http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/false-cause
Additionally you are misinterpreting this particular study which showed a correlation between a persons income and a higher likelihood to behave immorally. One can also easily say from this study that people who are immoral drive more expensive cars or people who are rich are more likely to be immoral. The one thing that really can't be concluded from the study is that driving an expensive car makes you a bad driver.

You might also want to test your statement that "The police should give extra attention to the more expensive cars" by replacing more expensive cars with other descriptors before thinking this a fair and effective policy.

-Logic Cop

The fact remains, Mr. Kane, that there is a correlation. It doesn't mean cause, it does mean correlation. You can parse the facts any way you want, but they are facts and they can be confirmed by study or by attempting to drive or walk on any day of the week in downtown Highland Park.

What your intellectual games do, unfortunately, is distract from the facts and the problem. Which is that there are drivers in Highland Park who drive too aggressively and inconsiderately, often flouting traffic laws. And while there are drivers of all profiles who do this, drivers of luxury vehicles are more likely to be behind the wheel.

It needs to be addressed. Not parsed like some hypothetical issue in a debate or logic class.

Bad form Andrew, you committed tu quoque. (http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque) We can go no further.

Do you have any date to support that Highland Park is more or less dangerous than any other suburb to be a pedestrian? Your loggical fallacy is: http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotal

Again, I will second this comment. I've lived and driven multiple years in various cities throughout the country. Downtown Chicago, Atlanta, Boston (often ranked worst drivers in national opinion surveys), Los Angeles and Connecticut.

I have NEVER witnessed the level of me-first, not-watching-cause-I'm-talking, traffic-signs-mean-nothing type of driving that I see in HP. And I did, even before the study was released, notice a correlation between the most egregious driving behavior and the dollar value of the car.

I have actually warned strangers about driving in Highland Park for years.

Not data. Observation. Years of it. Astonished by what I see. We don't all have time to drop everything and conduct peer reviewed studies to confirm what our eyes and experience are stating plainly for us.

Dear jant3,

If your personal observation differs from my personal observation how do we decide which observation lies closer to the state of things as they actually exist?

It's often much easier for people to believe someones testimony as opposed to understanding complex data and variation across a continuum. Quantitative scientific measures are almost always more accurate than personal perceptions and experiences, but our inclination is to believe that which is tangible to us, and/or the word of someone we trust over a more 'abstract' statistical reality.

Example: Jason said that that was all cool and everything, but his grandfather smoked, like, 30 cigarettes a day and lived until 97 - so don't believe everything you read about meta analyses of methodologically sound studies showing proven causal relationships.

The link you provide is an opinion piece that is based solely on anecdotal evidence so it is really difficult to use it to help form a logical belief.

It is an opinion column, but it's based on an hour's actual observation of traffic issues. That's not anecdotal, that's factual.

I agree with most of your posts and the one way idea is interesting. Maybe use Elm Place going one way west. I have one word for you about the kids driving - TEXTING.

Couldn't agree with you more. Well said.

Its unlikely an 18 year old is drunk at 2:30pm, but who knows, we will find out soon enough. I'm guessing texting or she dropped her phone and was trying to fish it off the floor........

I agree parents should not be allowing their kids to drive big expensive high performance cars at 18 or even 20. What's wrong with a normal car, it gets you around just as good and gives a kid something to strive for later. Starting out driving the best - where do you go from there?

Just going to pop a comment in here about all the ridiculousness about correlations between driving an expensive car and being a bad driver... I know plenty of people my age (in that 18-20 range) who drive beaters that they got for less than $5K - and they text, smoke, drink, speed, blow through stop signs, etc... just as much, if not more than those with "expensive" cars. Generally when I drive, I am driving a car that retails above $50K, and I would argue that I'm a very safe and careful driver. I care about the safety of myself and others. If anything, driving a sports car makes me a SAFER driver, as I have much more finite control over what my car does. I drive a Ford Focus Zipcar at school, and have had much trouble adjusting because the car has no "touch points" per-se on the accelerator and brake. It seems to have two modes: stopped and moving forward. The cars I drive at home don't have this issue - while one can jump 0-60 in about 6 seconds, I can control that car better than any other I've ever driven.

I have no idea what caused this accident - for all we know, the car lost control, the brakes failed, etc. So let's stop the speculation, thinking that just because she was 18 she must have been drunk, high, texting, searching for her phone... and wait until the investigation is complete.

"It is unlikely that an 18 year old is drunk at 2:30pm" Actually, I would argue that this would be highly likely, especially on a holiday weekend, and a day off from school.

Well said.

As i repeat, this car was a high performance car, and most high performance cars cost about $100k with big engines, special handling packages, they are cars you drive when you have more experience. I did not mean to allude it was the cost of the car that the girl should not have been driving, it was the power and high performance aspect. At 18 you do not need to be driving something you could take on the Autobahn. Driving something of this caliber takes experience you can't buy for an 18 year old.

Standards - take a look at my reply above. There are many adults who should not be allowed to drive sports cars just as there are many teenagers who have the driving skills and reaction time to drive the same. A V8 handles no differently to the driver than a V6 if that driver knows how to use it.

Bryce, you are an idiot. A V8 and a V6 are completely different things. Try going from a huge SUV with a V6 to a Corvette with a V8, tell me if you notice a difference.

Also, every post makes you sound like a spoiled brat. Have fun with your chick 50,000$ car.

Doesnt matter:

First off, calling two fellow commenters "idiots" and one a "moron" doesn't help your credibility on Patch, nor does it make you seem more intelligent than any of us. If you had read my post carefully, I was comparing apples to apples. Sure, a V6 SUV will be much harder to handle than a V8 Corvette, but that's not because of the engine size, it's due to the car's weight. Let's go with the most popular V6 SUV in HP - an Acura MDX. It weighs approx. 4700 pounds. The new Corvette? 3200. That's a 1500 pound difference, and the MDX is a pretty small SUV. The older V6 Escalades ran about 5500 pounds. That's a lot more weight you're throwing around. My car that I was referring to runs 3100 pounds. Nearly half the size of an Escalade. I've also driven a car with a V6 and similar dimensions, and I notice a small difference, but attribute that to the difference between car makes.

Long story short - yes, obviously, I notice a difference. Come to think of it, our other car is an SUV with a V6. And yep, there's a massive difference - in turning, accelerating, etc... - all due to the car's weight. So before you go ahead and call someone an idiot, or a moron, check your facts. Thanks.

Your logical fallacy is: http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem
-Logic Cop

methinks Evan is too tied up into his statistical analysis and behavioral science reasoning so he has to attack everyone's logical fallacies instead of listening to our opinions.

Evan, shut up, you are not a logic cop, you are an idiot. Highland park is a very dangerous place with corrupt police.

Agreed.^ I lived in HP until I could no longer tolerate it. (35 years with a few off for college etc.) I have NEVER in my life witnessed a more self-centered disgustingly entitled community in my life. Have any of you had visitors? Everyone who ever visited me was blown away by the attitudes of many of the residents. Terrible driving is only one example. Thank goodness I no longer have to deal with this vipers nest of a community. Good riddance.
So sad to hear that these selfish behaviors and me first addict uses have led to the death of a child. :(

I agree

My last sentence was meant to read, "so sad that these selfish behaviors and me-first attitudes..." auto-correct :/

texting, had to of been. i think they check cell phone records to deterimne if drivers were texting during the time of the accident.

Lets wait and give a chance to the HP Police to finish investigation

She could have dropped her phone or other object and bent over to find whatever it was.....or maybe she had a seizure? We don't know until we know.

It is interesting how her name has not been mentioned when the two junveniles who were arrested for robbery had their names printed immediately.

Steve S. I completely agree with you. Highland park has priorities, and if the victim isn't rich them the police don't care. Also, the fact that she is a minority makes them not care even less. Corruption is all over Illinois.

As a former EMT I can tell you that HP hospital is not a Level 1 trauma center so they do not have all the same emergency staff on duty. Evanston is a Level 1 trauma center so they are fully staffed and have all the resources and capabilities to aid someone who is in critical condition. The time it takes for the emts/paramedics to get to Evanston would be shorter then for all the appropriate medical professionals to be called in and get to HP.

Correct, they are not equipped for this type of trauma at HP

Darn, I thought HP Hospital would be at that level. Now living down the street from it isn't as great as I thought! But getting to Evanston in an ambulance would still be a 15-20 minute ride. Oh well. Hopefully I'll never need it.

Thanks for letting us know. Will spread the word.

Could you please resend the link. I may be missing something and cannot get it to work. I would like to contribute.

I don't want to appear uncaring about this tragic situation, but a fund to help them pay for the medical bills? The driver had a Lexus. Assuming they're insured, the insurance should be used to cover those bills. If the insurance maxes out, sue the driver for the rest.

If the driver wasn't insured (not likely or there'd probably be a ticket for that we'd be reading about in the story) - then again, the driver likely has some assets. Sue.

David -- it's a Memorial Fund. Maybe 'in memory of' or something else. It may go to family, church, school, etc.... funeral expenses (not covered by most auto policies) .... and other expenses that may help the family out. Sure, they should definitely sue the driver (it's America AND Highland Park, so it's obvious a lawsuit will surface), but we both know that takes 3 years to settle or go to trial.

JEEZ, you do sound uncaring. This family is probably not in a position to handle immediate expenses waiting for the insurance companies to argue fault, negligence, etc.

One would hope the family of the girl who killed the child would privately help out, but I'm sure their attorney would advise against that as it admits liability.

Its really great this community of wealth helps them out, and David Greenberg you should be writing a check right now. I am.

Standards -- just ignore David. He's usually unconcerned, unemotional, unsympathetic in most of his posts.... as well as cheap and cost consensus. It's part of his contribution to Patch that makes reading his posts sometimes interesting.

TJ: I'm not unconcerned - of course there's reason to be concerned about someone, anyone, being injured on a sidewalk. And especially a sidewalk with as much separation from the road way as that one has on a 25 mph street.

Unemotional: Yes. Granted that might not be the case if these were relatives or friends of mine. But as a general rule, bringing emotions into the situation isn't going to help figure out what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.

And I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of those involved. I asked a question as to why a memorial fund was being setup given the fact that this wasn't a "hit 'n run" by some uninsured driver.

"Cheap": I look for ways to operate more effectively and efficiently in everything I do, and I expect the same from companies I work with, and governmental districts that I reside within. There's nothing wrong with that, nor anything to apologize for, nor does it mean I'm "cheap".

Cost conscious: Yep. You bet. But again, there's nothing wrong with that either. In the instant case though, that doesn't appear to have come into play.

I could not agree more with David Greenberg. I as well do not want to appear uncaring, but why a memorial fund? It, to me, cheapens the loss that the family suffered. Some things cannot be made better with money. Oh and to "Standards" who commented "his family is probably not in a position to handle immediate expenses waiting for the insurance companies to argue fault, negligence, etc." Why? Why are they probably not in that position? "Standards" can you say it? no you cant.

YES I CAN SAY IT. WHO THE HELL HAS AN EXTRA $16,000 laying around to buy a child in this economy? Not me and I live near the lake in HP in a giant house. Times are tough for everyone, including you I"m sure. My friend just buried her father, and the costs are crazy high, and you need money to pay for it - "AT NEED" burials cost a hell of a lot more the "PRE-NEED".

If your mind went to the racial aspect, then shame on you.

If donating offends you then don't, but leave decent people alone.

Here is a link for donations:

http://igg.me/p/221748?a=1180476

Those that don't want to donate, don't, but those that don't have anything but condolences and prayers for this family that just suffered an unthinkables loss, keep your comments on this subject to yourselves. I recognize this is a forum to share your thoughts, but let's show some sensitivity here.

Well,smartguy, did you see the car? I did. In another thread i quoted the performance stats of the car - and it has 416 hp with 0-60 in 4 seconds. Not all Lexus's have this performance, but if you read the whole thread you'd see what was discussed. There is nothing wrong with a 7 year old Lexus, as I"m sure its not comparing apples to apples with this one. Would you want your 17 year old driving something with 0-60 in 4 seconds with 416 horsepower? I wouldn't, and i wouldn't want you to put your child in one either for everyone's safety. I do know a thing or two about cars, but that is another conversation for another day.

smartguy, you're not so smart as you clearly did not do your research before you posted. perhaps you'd like to go back and look at the photos of the new lexus sports car valued at $85k. for me that's luxury. but you're the smartguy.

Then epileptics should NEVER drive based on the overall discussion. They are a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of time before they have a seizure. So where will the next one be? On the Edens? Downtown HP? Next to a softball field? Forget it. Too risky. You have epilepsy, you shouldn't be allowed to drive.

Rich. Illinois law allows epileptics to drive. What "should" be the law can be open for discussion. But if this girl was driving legally and doing everything in her power to have her seizures under control and this happened, then she is not to blame any more than a person with poor heart health who has a heart attack while driving and injures someone. We can try to change the law, but under the present law, eplileptics are allowed to drive with a doctor's ok.

I believe all the speculation is occurring because it feels as though the authorities involved are withholding information that is normally shared with the community. Compare the lack of detail in the Patch report vs. other new sources which include pictures and other relevant details. As a result I and many others have no faith the truth will ever come out. If authorities can hide the identity of a citizen who killed a human being and seriously injured three others it seems to me they can hide anything.

I disagree -- while there is no statistical evidence that I know of. I have 20 years of driving experience on the North Shore to know that HP drivers simply do not care. I work less than a half block from the accident site. I have a view of the stop signs on 1st/Central and 2nd/Central. I AVOID DRIVING in downtown HP (I use Laurel) and I cross one of those intersections each weekday to get lunch. I've never seen a worse drivers at a 4-stop intersection in my life after working here for 5+ years. Whether cars maintained or not, that doesn't control the driver's ability to DRIVE THE CAR.

TJ wheeler is completely correct. I JUST saw an elderly woman crossing by ross discount and a car swerving around her because the driver refused to wait 2 seconds for this woman to cross. No way can you say HP is not extremely impatient and aggressive with the 4 way stop signs and right on reds etc.

I agree -- Police work takes time.... her name will come out eventually, either through the media, police, our comments or civil procedure. She'll still have to wakeup every day realizing she killed a 5 year old while 'driving erratically', or not -- while 'drunk' or 'high', or not..... whatever the case might be.

Wet conditions? It was totally dry and sunny. Please explain. Also I believe the erratic driving came before the vehicle killed the boy. Of course the kid was overcome by emotion AFTER he killed a child, how does this explain what he was doing before, and why does his reaction after the fact make a difference. The police will figure it out.

Steve S. - it was a "she" not a "he" driver, and some people were witnesses remember....the erratic driving was prior, not after.

True, and yes I know people who have swerved and crashed. None of them ended in the death of a 5 year old child and even though that is the awful difference it doesn't bring the boy back and also does not diminish the need for a thorough investigation to confirm (or not) whether this in fact was an accident in it's purest form or as a result of drugs or alcohol.

Where do you get the "backed up and hit them a 2nd time" thing from? That almost sounds like my HPHS Traffic Safety teacher making a bad joke oh so long ago...

I have also heard the "huffing" rumor. Someone above commented that it would be unlikely that an 18 year old would be intoxicated at 2:30pm in the afternoon....... I didn't know that kids watch the clock before they hit the booze.

Something I said bothers you?

she was huffing and driving it is like murder driving a car like that it is a weapon she could have killed the whole family she should get at lease 20 years

How can you differentiate Liberals from Conservatives via these comments? You have no idea which I am, and you are wrong.
Why are you bringing politics into this. YOU ARE INAPPROPRIATE and i hope everyone on this page flags you as such as you are trying to start people arguing about BS.

Maybe if Greenberg had a job other than trolling the Patch for pot-stirring, like the rest of us. I only comment on some issues, i don't comment on everything daily like some of you sad people. Get a Job and if you have one, do your job. Stop inciting people with your nonsense.

Put the keyboard down and take your meds!

Your insulting everyone and you point the finger at me........hah. You got like 30 posts in here settle down. It call freedom of speech if you dont like it dont read it.....but you sure sound like a liberal.

Sorry Standards, my job is not trolling the Patch for pot-stirring as you call it. If I feel like commenting on something, I will. If that bothers you - it's unfortunate, but not my problem.

Stu, thanks for the update and insight.

@David

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/highland_park_highwood/chi-cops-await-toxicology-results-for-driver-in-fatal-highland-park-crash-20120904,0,5582877.story

Theodore-

There must be some valid legalities present that they have yet to release the name of the driver, but I think the police department has done a poor job communicating that explanation to the community. "Investigation ongoing" can be an acceptable justification, but only if well explained to a community in outrage. Clearly this isn't a case of simple DUI, as a breathalyzer would have evidenced that fairly quickly. I don't want to speculate, but I gather this is a lot deeper than any of us know.

Highland Park strives to encourage inclusion and support of all cultures. I think this is well demonstrated in the outpouring of support for this family over the last 36 hours. PLEASE do not let the police's lack of information negate any of that.

"At the direction of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, the release states that charges have not been filed, pending investigation results and state crime lab analysis."

So clearly it's not the Highland Park Police Department's call.

Mayor Rotering has issued a statement regarding the handling of the driver's identity:

http://www.cityhpil.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=123

There's a lot of possibilities. One is that the driver may have fallen asleep (I saw that once at the old Jewel when I was about 12 yrs old. Elderly male driver fell asleep waiting for his wife, hit the gas, drove right through the fence and smashed into the block wall that's along the edge of the Corbe bldg parking lot).

Maybe she took some sleep aid the night before and it had an adverse effect on her...

Maybe she was drunk. Narcoleptic. Epileptic. Fainted due to dehydration or some other reason. Or maybe the car had some mechanical failure.

As for backing up - perhaps she was in shock and thought that was the right thing to do. Or if she was sleeping, in a dream state...

Tragic nonetheless, but I'm certain we'll find out what happened. The family walking on the sidewalk certainly has my sympathies...

I believe the money is meant to go to pay for the funeral, I'm pretty sure the DRIVERS insurance won't pay for that, and for expenses incurred while the mom is recovering and cannot work or perfom daily routine.

Shes full of it.....the cops could have held that girl for 24 hours at the least.

Melissa:

I wondered the same thing. Who are we protecting and why? This is public information. Who are we afraid of offending?