Lawsuit: Hinsdale car wash knew of problems before crash that killed teen

The parents of a Hinsdale boy who was killed when a Jeep left a car wash and hit him as he was walking on a sidewalk say the business knew its setup was dangerous but did nothing.

“They are directly responsible for the death of our son,” Brian Richards said at a news conference Wednesday announcing a lawsuit against the owners of the Fuller’s Car Wash at 102 W. Chicago Ave., in the village’s downtown.

Sean Richards, 14, was walking on a sidewalk on the west side of Lincoln Street on July 17.

A 16-year-old car wash employee was driving a Jeep Wrangler out of the wash bay and, after shifting gears from neutral to drive, accelerated to about 30 mph, according to Bradley Cosgrove, the Richards’ attorney.

The Jeep struck Richards, crossed Lincoln, crossed another sidewalk and hit the Fontano’s Subs and Deli restaurant. It entered the restaurant, injuring three diners.

The DuPage County state’s attorney’s office ruled that the driver mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake. There was no criminal intent and no evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved, according to the state’s attorney. The driver received several traffic tickets.

The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, also names the teen driver, his father, who also works at the car wash, and Douglas Fuller, president, and Susan Fuller, secretary, of the business.

An employee who answered the phone at the car wash said the Fullers would not comment on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit contends that Fuller’s should not have let an inexperienced driver drive the vehicle.

It also contends the business knew there was a safety issue after two other incidents.

In July 2007, a worker driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee out of the wash bay accelerated, crossed Lincoln and hit a parked car in front of Fontano’s Subs, the lawsuit states. The car was totaled.

On an unspecified date in 2022, two cars rolled off the car wash property and hit a car parked in front of the restaurant. According to the lawsuit, the owner of the damaged car told Fuller’s that many pedestrians and bicyclists pass through the area and that it should do something to improve safety, the lawsuit states.

“A large part of us was killed that day along with Sean,” said Brian Richards, Sean’s father. He said Kristine Richards saw the Jeep “fly out like a bullet” from the car wash bay. She was on her way to meet Sean at the Hinsdale Public Library. Sean was walking there after seeing his orthodontist at an office near the car wash.

Sean was walking on the sidewalk on the west side of Lincoln, the same side as the car wash. The wash bay exit is perpendicular to Lincoln.

Kristine Richards noted that Fuller’s has since placed concrete bollards across the entrance to prevent vehicles from exiting.

“Why did it take our young son’s death to do anything to protect the public?” she said.

“We do not believe it is safe for Hinsdale to have a car wash in the downtown area,” Kristine Richards said. She said the car wash should be made to move to another area with less foot, scooter and bicycle traffic.

Fuller’s has had an automotive services business on the site for almost 70 years. Cosgrove did not know when the car wash part opened.

“Public safety is really the main issue that we have in the lawsuit,” Cosgrove said.