The aftermath of a tragic accident that left a 2-year-old dead has led to the family of the toddler to seek legal justice. The lawsuit, intended to hold Portillo's restaurant chain accountable for what the family describes as preventable circumstances that led to the fatal crash at its Oswego location, was announced last month.
As reported by ABC7 Chicago, the parents of Finnegan McKee claim that flaws in Portillo's parking lot design, along with an absence of safety barriers, created a hazardous condition that directly contributed to the tragedy. The lawsuit details the lack of concrete parking bumpers or safety bollards between the parking lot and the restaurant's entrance, a standard that other businesses in the vicinity seem to have adopted. With the family seeking upwards of $100,000 in damages, their action aims to also prevent such a loss from happening to any other family.
During this difficult period, GWC injury lawyers are representing the McKee family, emphasizing the urgent need for safety improvements and accountability. According to a statement obtained by CBS News Chicago, they are calling for "immediate safety action" after a vehicle, reportedly a mid-sized Lincoln, crashed into the Portillo's building with such impact that it ended up entirely inside the establishment.
The devastating incident, which occurred on July 30, resulted in injuries to multiple people — with eight requiring hospitalization and another six treated at the scene. Finnegan McKee, who was inside the restaurant at the time of the crash, subsequently died from his injuries. The parents have now subsequently filed suit, helped along by their legal team, to ensure that this occurrence does not become just another footnote in the annals of avoidable American tragedies, but a catalyst for change. While the police consider the crash to have been an accident, no charges have been filed to date against the driver, a 50-year-old woman who was also among those injured.
The press conference that was held on Friday gave the McKee family an opportunity to publicly address their concerns and the reasons behind their lawsuit. They stressed not only their own irreplaceable loss, but the potential risks that exist for others if corrective measures aren't undertaken. Their resolve in this legal battle extends beyond their personal grief to encompass a communal safeguard — one they hope to firmly establish through the courts — ensuring that no other family will have to endure a similar fate within a setting as mundane as a restaurant parking lot.
