Mom charged after child drives SUV into hotdog stand, injuring 1
BY LINDA BLASER Sun-Times Media lblaser@pioneerlocal.com January 19, 2012 4:42PM
Lake Bluff firefighter Mark Yost dumps a shovel of debris from Scooter's Restaurant. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 19, 2012 4:58PM
A 48-year-old woman faces criminal charges after leaving three children in an SUV that ended up crashing through a Lake Bluff hotdog stand, injuring a customer inside.
Stephanie Burke of Lake Bluff was charged with one misdemeanor count of child neglect and given a traffic ticket for leaving a vehicle unattended while running, Lake County sheriff’s police said.
Police said Burke left her two 9-year-olds and a 6-year-old in a 2007 Acura SUV while she went into Scooter’s restaurant about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“One of the 9-year-olds hopped into the driver’s seat and essentially drove the car into the building,” Lt. Christopher Thompson said.
A 40-year-old woman from Waukegan sustained minor hip injuries as a result of damage caused to the building. She was taken to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Thompson said.
Because the building sustained structural damage, Knollwood Fire Department crews shut it down for the rest of the day. Construction crews worked through the night to board up the damaged wall and window.
The restaurant was open Thursday for business, owner Jerry Garbis said.
“It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, but someone was injured due to (Burke’s) neglect,” Thompson said. “In a situation like this, obviously, it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully, it wasn’t.”
Thompson suggested parents keep their children with them at all times or “go through a drive-thru,” he said.
Burke posted $100 bond and is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on Feb. 1.
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