Toddler killed by hit-and-run driver in Albany Park, Chicago police say
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A toddler was struck by a car and killed in Albany Park Monday afternoon, Chicago police said.
Chicago police said at about 2 p.m. in the 4500-block of North Pulaski, an 18-month-old boy was being put in the back of a white Toyota Rav 4.
The family had just finished eating at Ruby's Fast Food when the incident occurred.
"They were waiting on extra food that we ordered, so I took him out to get him in the car," said his father Gerardo Cardona. "I put the stuff in the car and turned around and he wasn't there."
The child was not secured into the car and got out, walked into the street and was struck by a pickup truck, police said.
"I noticed him in front of the truck and I yelled out, 'Hey!' but I realized the guy wasn't paying attention to me because he was more focused on the road," Cardona said. "When I got right to the car's bumper, I saw it lump up. That's kind of when my heart dropped."
The child was taken to Lurie Children's Hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead, according to CPD. He was identified as Hermes Cardona-Rios. His parents are devastated.
"He was fighting for his life in my stomach. Now, to lose him again, it's just like... I've lost hope," said his mother Jocelyn Rios. "Losing a child is losing a part of you that could never be replaced."
The driver of the pickup truck, which the parents said was black, fled the scene and did not stop.
"I cannot see him no more, feel him. That's what I do. I feel him every single day next to me and now that's gone," Rios said.
No one is currently in custody and no further information was available. An investigation is ongoing.
Workers at the restaurant said they rushed outside to find the child's mother holding him and screaming for help. The owner of Ruby's said they gave police surveillance video of the crash. Police have not yet released a description of the pickup truck.
The Chicago Fire Department initially reported the victim was a girl.
