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In wake of 6-year-old's death, Wheaton residents petition for lower speed limits

Nearly 300 people have signed a petition in hopes of getting the speed limit lowered on all residential streets in Wheaton, in response to the death of a kindergartner who was hit by a car while walking home from school last month.

The petition is available on the website change.org and was started by Wheaton resident Kara Kortum. It requests the city council consider lowering the speed limit on residential streets to 20 miles per hour.

Kortum, who could not be reached for comment, says on the website that she was walking her dog when she came upon the scene of the accident on the 1200 block of Taft Street. She called 911 and later learned the speed limit on most residential streets in Wheaton is 30 miles per hour.

"We have at least 100 kids in our area that go to the same school John RuatPuia went to who could be hit next," Kortum wrote, referring to the victim. "I do not want another Wheaton family torn apart by another accident that can easily be prevented by lowering the speed limit on streets full of small kids who can easily slip out in front of a car going 30 mph."

John, age 6, died from injuries he suffered after being struck May 4. Police say he was walking with his mother and two siblings when he ran in front of a car.

According to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family, John attended Lincoln Elementary and had come with his family to the U.S. from Malaysia through World Relief, a Wheaton-based refugee relief organization.

Mayor Michael Gresk said he has not seen the petition, but did attend John's funeral.

"It's every parent's, every grandparent's worst nightmare, to lose a child. It was terrible," he said. "Having said that, we get requests all the time. We're happy to entertain it. It's a good first step, but for us to formally consider it, it has to be formally presented."

Gresk suggested the petition be brought to a city council meeting on Monday nights or a coffee with the council on Saturday mornings.

City Manager Mike Dzugan also said the city has not received the petition.

"We get petitions pretty frequently so it's not something that unusual," he said. "We evaluate all petitions we get. It's something we would take a look at and then go from there."

Dzugan said the speed limits on residential streets are set by state law. He couldn't recall a time in recent years that the speed limit was changed on a residential street in the city and said an engineering study would likely have to be completed before any changes are made.

6-year-old Wheaton boy dies after crash

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