Few details offered in Schaumburg crash

Residents lined up and down Plum Grove Road were all smiles during Monday night's fireworks show in Schaumburg, one day after a car plowed into eight people in the same location.

While many of the several dozen people along Plum Grove said they were not concerned about the potential for another accident, a few said they were worried.

Hanover Park's Leo Perez said he and his family usually watch the fireworks show from the sidewalk, but on Monday they pushed their chairs back a few feet into a neighboring parking lot.

"They should at least put a car with lights out here to control traffic," Perez said. "It is becoming more and more dangerous."

Schaumburg police revealed few details Monday as they continued to investigate why the Ford Mustang with four teenagers in it hit fireworks spectators lining Plum Grove Road.

Eight people were injured and there were reports of seven being taken to area hospitals.

"I've worked for the police department for over 20 years and we've never had something like this happen at Septemberfest," said Schaumburg Police Sgt. John Nebl. "It is a really fluky thing for a car to end up on the sidewalk."

Even so, accidents like this do happen and some communities have taken extra steps to improve safety at community events like parades, festivals and fireworks displays.

In DeKalb last month, a monster truck performing stunts in front of an auto parts store veered into a crowd of spectators and nine people were injured.

In 2000, shortly before a Batavia fireworks show, a drunken driver hit a pickup truck, sending members of the family that was inside catapulted to the ground, injuring them. The accident was near a crowd of hundreds.

Since then, Batavia police have stepped up efforts to enforce a no-parking zone where people watch fireworks. To clear room for pedestrians, officers have stopped traffic directly after fireworks' shows.

In 1996, an out-of-control car struck a crowd in Wheeling watching Fourth of July fireworks.

The festivities turned tragic when a 1986 Buick Electra driven by an 83-year-old man raced out of its parking spot. The car struck a parking island, a tree, three cars and eight people, injuring seven and killing an 11-year-old boy.

Precautions in Wheeling have been taken so that it doesn't happen again, said longtime village official Judy Abruscato, now serving as the interim village president.

Since the 1996 incident, parking is no longer allowed near fireworks spectators, she said.

In addition, for annual parades, there are volunteers on hand to quickly catch people who run in the middle of the street, she said.

When it comes to fireworks, the firefighters, police and local police academy volunteers are all out there to watch the crowd.

Witnesses to the Schaumburg accident this weekend say it's unclear why the convertible left the road around 9:30 p.m.

There were two males and two females inside the car, between 15 and 18 years old, Nebl said.

Schaumburg resident Kevin Olandese pulled up to the area right as a huge cloud of debris and smoke billowed toward the sky.

"I saw pieces of the car," he said. "You could tell it impacted a tree with a lot of force."

On Monday night, Shilpa Shah, who lives near the accident site, was walking down Plum Grove warning those who were there of the potential danger.

"I don't understand why the cops would let them sit there," Shah said.

Many residents lining Summit Drive for Monday morning's Septemberfest parade were talking about the crash.

"It was just a big old mess," said Kim Rafferty, of Carol Stream. "It just looked like a really bad accident with glass everywhere."

The car went off the road at Plum Grove Road, south of Schaumburg Road.

The Mustang struck three females and one male on the sidewalk and came to rest after striking a tree.

Police say seven people were transported to local hospitals and one was in serious condition, with nonlife threatening injuries.

Officials say it will take about a week to reconstruct the accident scene.

The area was closed until 3 a.m. Monday morning. It is still unknown if drugs, alcohol or speed were factors. No changes were made to the last day of Septemberfest, Nebl said.

Anybody who witnessed the Schaumburg crash this weekend is urged to call police at (847) 882-3534.