CHICAGO — A woman was killed in her backyard in Brighton Park Thursday when a 13-year-old boy accidentally crashed his dad's pickup truck into her, officials say.
A man in his 30s parked his pickup truck in an alley in the 4500 block of South St. Louis Avenue about 7:10 a.m. He got out of the truck to put something in the back bed, police said.
The man's 13-year-old son moved into the driver's seat, where he bumped the gear shifter. As the car began to move, the boy tried to hit the brake, but accidentally hit the gas pedal, police said.
The truck lurched forward, hitting two garages and one car before it stopped after crashing into a woman's backyard.
Neighbors believed the boy was taking off his back pack when one of the straps shifted the car into drive. When the boy realized the car was moving he tried attempted to slam on the brake but instead propelled the car into the backyard and striking the women, neighbors said.
Neighbors said the woman was picking vegetables at the home of a relative who also lives on the same block when she was struck by the vehicle.
The woman, 61-year-old Ruilan Zeng, was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. She was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai at 5:25 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
The father was cited for leaving his vehicle unattended while it was running and for driving on a suspended license, police said. Police had not released his name as of Wednesday night.
