Oswego’s Village released a statement on the “tragic accident” that left a 2-year-old dead and 13 others injured when a car slammed in a Portillo’s restaurant earlier this week, saying the village was taking the incident “incredibly seriously” and considering new safety protocols.
“As Village President, I carry a deep responsibility for the safety of everyone in our community,” Village President Ryan Kauffman’s statement began. “But as a father, this tragedy hits especially hard. I am absolutely heartbroken over the vehicle crash yesterday at Portillo’s that injured many and tragically took one life. The loss of a 2-year-old child is unimaginable, and our entire community is grieving alongside the family.”
According to police, the incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon after a 50-year-old woman drove a car into the Oswego Portillo’s restaurant on Route 34, crashing through the front doors near the parking lot.
The crash killed a 2-year-old boy and left 13 others injured, police said, all of whom were inside the restaurant at the time. Eight people, including the driver, were transported to nearby hospitals, and six others were treated at the scene. According to authorities, some of the injuries were serious.
Police later described the crash a “tragic accident,” and said they were reviewing all evidence.
Kauffman’s statement, issued Thursday, went on to say that the village was reviewing its safety ordinances and protocols “to identify what more can be done to help prevent such tragedies in the future.”
“Oswego has required bollards for all commercial outdoor dining areas for decades, but we know that we must continue to evaluate and strengthen protections in public spaces,” the statement added. “We are also looking into how other communities have responded to similar incidents, and we are actively exploring additional safety measures. Nothing is off the table when it comes to protecting lives.”
Kauffman said he will bring the topic for discussion at a future Village Board meeting. At Monday’s upcoming meeting, the board will observe a moment of silence to honor the 2-year-old boy killed.
“We owe it to the families who are hurting—and to everyone who lives, works or visits here—to take a hard look at how we can improve public safety,” the statement said.
Rob Reiter, co-founder of the Storefront Safety Council, which advocates for safety bollards and barriers in public spaces, said accidents like the one that occurred at Portillo’s are both frequent and preventable.
NBC 5 Responds found that since 2023, the Council has tracked 111 cases of cars crashing into buildings in the Chicago area alone. Most of the incidents they see, Reiter said, are at restaurants. And many of those locations, like the Portillo’s, have what’s called “nose-in parking.”
“Nose-in parking is probably one of the greatest risks for these sorts of accidents because you have 3,000 or 4,000 pound vehicles that are pulling into a spot about 5 feet from the front door,” Reiter told NBC Chicago. “And if, for any reason that car doesn’t stop, it just keeps going through the front door.”
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Reiter said municipal level ordinances to require safety bollards aren’t very common, but they’re growing.
“Most cities that have adopted these things as a result of a crash like this one, Reiter said. “And there’s probably 20 or so of those around the country,.”
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