DCFS rules out neglect in case of Fox Lake toddler dragged by car

The Department of Children and Family Services has ruled there was no sign of neglect in the accident involving a 3-year-old Fox Lake girl who was a struck and dragged by a car, police said Friday.

The toddler remains hospitalized but has been upgraded to serious condition at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Lt. Joe Gliniewicz said charges have not yet been filed but are expected next week against the 36-year-old neighbor who was driving the vehicle that struck the child while she played along the side of the road in the 0-100 block of Arlington Lane about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The woman, who will not be identified by police until charges are filed, is in DuPage County jail serving time for a separate, unrelated incident.

Gliniewicz said the Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County is investigating the accident. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to have played a role, he said.

DCFS officials interviewed the toddler's parents when they learned she was playing along the side of the road at the time of the accident, Gliniewicz said.

"They determined there has been no signs of neglect against the parents of the child," he said.

DCFS officials were not available for comment Friday.

The toddler was injured when a red 1999 Dodge pulled out of the driveway across the street and struck her head. She became wedged under the car and was dragged for about 200 feet before neighbors and others stopped the vehicle.

Indications were the girl was sitting on the street curb, Gliniewicz said. Because of the way the subdivision was built, the curb is roughly 15 feet from the girl's front door.

The child was airlifted to Lutheran General in Park Ridge for surgery. More surgeries are planned to reconstruct the child's shoulder. She is expected to make a full recovery, police said.