Hinsdale Car Wash In Violation Since 1990s: Records

HINSDALE, IL – In 1997, the village warned Fuller's Car Wash in Hinsdale that it would issue tickets if the business continued parking cars on nearby sidewalks.

Fuller's appears to have continued the practice.

Patch obtained the village's 1997 letter to Fuller's, 102 W. Chicago Ave., through a public records request.

The letter was part of a package with a demand letter from a lawyer representing Brian and Kristine Richards. They lost their 14-year-old son, Sean Patrick Richards, after a Fuller's employee struck him with a car last July.

The couple is asking the village to issue a cease-and-desist order to shut down Fuller's for the time being. This would be pending hearings about whether to continue Fuller's special-use permit.

The Richards family pointed to a history of crashes involving Fuller's.

In recent Village Board meetings, the family and others have highlighted what they see as the car wash's continued practice of parking cars on sidewalks near its business.

In an Aug. 26, 1997, letter, then-Assistant Village Manager Bohdan Proczko informed Fuller's that a village committee received a petition signed by 52 residents of Washington Square, a retirement home, protesting the car wash parking cars on the sidewalk on both sides of Chicago Avenue.

Proczko noted the village barred parking on sidewalks.

"You are hereby directed to cease and desist from parking cars on the public sidewalk adjacent to your property," Proczko said. "The sidewalks are to be kept clear for use by pedestrians."

The official also said the owners of cars parked on the sidewalk are subject to tickets from the police. The citations would be the responsibility of the cars' owners, he said.

Days later, Proczko sent a follow-up letter, saying he wanted to clarify the issue. He said the village's prohibition also applies to the sidewalk on Lincoln Street, which is next to Fuller's.

"Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated so that your clients' cars would not be subject to being ticketed," Proczko said.

That cooperation appears not to have come – at least in the long run.

Google Maps photos from 2007, 2012, 2019 and 2022 show that Fuller's continually parked cars on the sidewalk.

Sean Patrick Richards was walking on the sidewalk when a 16-year-old Fuller's employee struck Richards and then crashed into Fontano's Subs across the street, injuring three people.

Richards' parents recently said village officials were "complicit" by failing to address issues at Fuller's.

In an interview, Hinsdale Police Chief Brian King said officers have issued at least one citation involving a car parked in the sidewalk across the street from Fuller's. In recent times, the car wash has placed cones to prevent employees from parking on the sidewalk.

Fuller's has not returned repeated messages.