Girl, 5, Killed When Car Hits Family on Sidewalk

Mother, two young sons also injured in crash

UPDATE: Memorial Fund Established

A 5-year-old girl was killed when a car jumped the curb and hit her, her mother and her two young brothers Monday afternoon in north suburban Highland Park.

The family was walking down the sidewalk on the north side of the 700 block of Central Avenue when the car hit all four of them at 2:31 p.m., according to a release from Highland Park police.

The girl’s father, Tomas Santo de Jesus, said he was at work when his wife, Modesta Sacramento-Jimenez, and their three young children were hit while walking in the Highland Park neighborhood where they have lived for eight years.

“I want to explain the law to the person who hit them,” said Santos de Jesus between sobs, speaking Spanish.

Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento, 5, was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

She lived in the 900 block of Deerfield Road in Highland Park, less than a half-mile from the crash, authorities said.

His wife and young sons, Daniel and Juan Carlitos, were also injured in the crash, Santos de Jesus said.

Authorities said the boys, ages 4 and 2, were taken to Highland Park Hospital where they are expected to be treated and released. His wife remains at the hospital in "fair but stable" condition.

An 18-year-old, also from Highland Park, was driving the car that hit the family, police said. That person was also treated at Highland Park Hospital, but has since been released. No charges have been filed as of Monday evening.

The Lake County major Crash Assistance team and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office are assisting in the investigation, police said.

"Our hearts to gout to everyone involved," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement released by police, adding, "This accident is a parent’s worst nightmare and has created a devastating loss."

 
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