Leg Amputated After Downtown Hinsdale Crash Last Fall: Business Owner

HINSDALE, IL – Two women were sitting on a bench outside a downtown Hinsdale restaurant last fall when a car struck them.

Afterward, doctors amputated the leg of one of the victims, the restaurant owner told village officials Tuesday.

Angela Lavelli, owner of Cafe La Fortuna, asked the village to put up barriers. Otherwise, she said, the restaurant will be unable to get insurance, meaning it will close.

Officials said they would do so.

The restaurant is at 46 Village Place, which is a narrow, one-lane street connecting Hinsdale Avenue and First Street.

Cafe Fortuna had benches on each side of its entrance since 2013, Lavelli said to the Village Board. They have since been removed.

"The driver carried only minimum liability insurance coverage," Lavelli said. "Although Cafe Fortuna did not cause or contribute to this accident, because the ladies were seated on a Cafe Fortuna bench, we were deemed legally liable."

As of March 16, the restaurant will lose its insurance, she said.

"We have diligently searched for new coverage," Lavelli said. "If we don't acquire any insurance, we cannot open, placing myself and my employees' families at risk of losing our primary source of income and facing bankruptcy."

She said she failed to understand why Hinsdale did not take the crash more seriously. At the same time, she said she could not thank the village enough for responding to the barrier request.

She said a village official had informed her that an engineering survey for the barricades had just been completed.

In response, Village President Greg Hart said he appreciated Lavelli speaking.

"We obviously value you and Cafe Fortuna, and I know our staff has been in contact with you, as I have," Hart said. "We're anxious to get a resolution as well, but we have a process to follow.

On social media Wednesday, Hart announced that he had directed that temporary barriers be installed near the restaurant. He said the village had been "actively moving it forward as quickly as possible."

The crash occurred in the early afternoon of Sept. 29.

According to police, an elderly driver backed out of a parking spot and struck the women on the bench.

It was considered a low-speed crash, but both women were injured, police said.

The crash was believed to have been caused by driver error.