A suburban mother left infuriated by the punishment handed down in the death of her 14-year-old daughter in a 2021 crash has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, saying that her child’s memory has not been fully honored in the case.
Sarah Rehling has trouble holding back the tears when she talks about her daughter Madison Harrison, who was killed in Dec. 2021 in a head-on crash in suburban Palos Heights.
“She was a free spirit, somebody that loved everybody,” she said. “Everything was always about being kind, and that’s all she was.”
Harrison was riding in a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old acquaintance in the 6300 block of Illinois Route 83 when the vehicle veered into oncoming traffic, slamming into an SUV.
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The teen was ejected from the vehicle, and she later died from her injuries.
Rehling is now left planning her next steps after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed that the driver in the case was sentenced to probation after he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide.
“It’s nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Rehling said.
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She has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case.
“Maddie isn’t getting what she deserved,” she said.
In her daughter’s memory, Rehling has also created a scholarship fund in her name called “Making Waves for Maddie,” alluding to the teen’s love of competitive swimming.
As the Alsip-based family continues to cope with their loss, Rehling says she does feel at least some comfort when she thinks of the final time she saw her daughter.
“They surprised me and came in for lunch at my work. That’s the last time I saw her,” she said. “She got to the door, stopped and then turned around and ran back and said ‘I almost forgot to tell you, I love you.’”
