The coroner has performed an autopsy on the 3-year-old boy who died after he was run over by an SUV while playing on a bicycle at his Beach Park home, in what was described as a “horribly tragic accident.”
The Beach Park Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 12 p.m. Monday to the 12700 block of West Beach Road in Beach Park for a person struck by a vehicle.
A preliminary investigation showed an adult family member of a 3-year-old boy was moving cars in the driveway so other children could play basketball, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The child rode his bicycle behind the vehicle as it was backing up, Covelli said. The family member did not see him.
The woman felt the vehicle strike something and she stopped and exited her vehicle, at which point she found the child under the car.
Family members of the boy started CPR on him and sheriff’s deputies took over CPR until paramedics arrived, Covelli said.
The boy was transported to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with extremely critical injuries.
He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, Covelli said.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office said they performed an autopsy on the child on Tuesday and confirmed he died from blunt force injuries as a result of the incident.
The coroner’s office did not publicly release the name of the boy.
Covelli said on Tuesday that he did not have any further update on the investigation but said it appeared to be a “horribly tragic accident.”
“All of the members of our office feel for the family during this incredibly difficult time,” Covelli said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit is continuing to conduct its investigation.