11/28/2022
Two pedestrians were killed and three others were injured after a driver crashed into a building in Des Plaines on Sunday afternoon.
Around 12:15 p.m., the crash was reported in the 400 block of Northwest Highway.
According to Deputy Chief Matt Matzl of the Des Plaines Fire Department, the driver of an SUV collided with a building and a gas main.
Des Plaines Police Department Cmdr. Matt Bowler said in a press release that a 42-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man were killed in the crash.
Bowler said the driver of the car, a 71-year-old man, and two children in the car at the time of the crash suffered non-life threatening injuries.
According to a building tenant, the vehicle struck a conference room, and no one was working inside at the time of the crash.
A witness stated that they are grateful no one was inside but are heartbroken to learn that two people died.
“I thought it was just another person speeding down, but then I heard the crash and ran inside,” Ben Smith explained.
Smith stated that he was outside at the time when everything happened in the blink of an eye.
“I see it coming in pretty fast, but I don’t see any swerving or anything,” Smith explained. “At least, that’s what I’m assuming.”
The crash is still being investigated, but Bowler says investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role.
Ald. Patsy Smith of the Seventh Ward said she is heartbroken by the incident and will work to see how the community can come together to help those affected.
“I truly express my condolences to the two people who were killed,” Smith said.
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