Truck Crashes At Fuller's Car Wash, Site Of 2023 Fatal Collision

HINSDALE, IL – A crash occurred late Wednesday afternoon at Hinsdale's Fuller's Car Wash, where a fatal collision happened nearly three years ago.

In a text message shortly afterward, Village President Greg Hart said the police department was investigating.

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"At this point, it remains an active investigation, so we have very limited confirmed information to share," Hart said.

On Thursday morning, Hart tweeted that Fuller's would be temporarily closed until a licensed structural engineer can verify that the car wash's barriers, known as bollards, were not compromised in the crash. The village wants to make sure the site is safe to reopen, he said.

Photos of the crash appeared to show that the bollards may have stopped the pickup truck from reaching the sidewalk.

In July 2023, a new Fuller's employee lost control of a vehicle, fatally striking 14-year-old Hinsdale resident Sean Richards, who was walking on the public sidewalk.

Shortly after the crash, the car wash installed bollards without a village permit. A pattern of crashes occurred in the years before Richards' death.

Richards' parents, Brian and Kristine Richards, hired an engineer, who found the bollards were not strong enough to withstand vehicles in many cases.

The Village Board later required stronger bollards.

In an interview Wednesday evening, Brian Richards said the better barriers would likely not exist without the public pressure from his family and others.

In a later text message, Richards said, "Thank God that the village – based on our expert's report and testimony at village board meetings – installed the stronger bollards that did stop that truck and saved lives today."

The Richards family has sued Fuller's Car Wash. The business has filed for bankruptcy.