A mother says she is heartbroken and experienced the “greatest loss” of her life after her 1-year-old boy died in a major crash that also left a woman dead along Route 41 in Highland Park.
The Highland Park Police Department and Highland Park Fire Department responded around 3:05 p.m. Saturday to the intersection of Route 41 and Park Avenue West for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
A 911 caller reported that there were people trapped in the wreckage and a baby was unresponsive. A second person was also reported to be unconscious.
Bystanders were reportedly doing CPR on the child, according to fire department radio traffic.
The Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District, Northbrook Fire Department and Glencoe Public Safety Department were dispatched to assist.
Fire crews arrived and reported heavy damage with a person trapped inside one of the cars.
Firefighters and paramedics also reported that two of the victims were unconscious and not breathing, with a third victim down on the ground.
City officials said in a statement that the crash involved two vehicles.
A preliminary investigation showed that a 2026 Hyundai Sonata was traveling northbound on Skokie Valley Road when it struck a 2006 Toyota Sienna, which was turning southbound onto Skokie Valley Road from westbound Park Avenue.
The driver of the Toyota, identified as Joan Scaccia, 73, of Wilmette, had to be extricated from her vehicle, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
Scaccia suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to Endeavor Highland Park Hospital where she was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
An infant, identified as Andre Paz, who was a 21-month-old male from Round Lake, was in a car seat in the rear passenger compartment of the Hyundai, Banek said.
Paz suffered life-threatening injuries and was also transported to Endeavor Highland Park Hospital where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
The boy’s mother, Dulce Martinez Ruiz, said she had a “completely broken heart” and it is the “greatest loss of my life.”
“My beautiful boy was a light in our lives. His smile, his joy, and his innocence filled our home,” Ruiz said.
Paz was in the car with his father when the crash occurred.
“Sadly, God decided to call my little boy to his side. There are no words to describe the profound pain we are experiencing as a family. As his mother, I feel that a part of my heart went with him. In the midst of this unexpected suffering, we are trying to find the strength to say goodbye to our little angel with the love he deserves,” Ruiz said.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help the boy’s parents with the unexpected funeral expenses and has raised over $8,000 by more than 180 donors.
“I ask you from the bottom of my heart to keep our family in your prayers so that God may give us strength, peace, and comfort to move forward in the middle of this tragedy,” Ruiz said, adding that this was something she “never imagined” going through.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the hospital to take possession of both victims.
A third victim was also transported to the hospital, city officials said.
Fire department radio traffic indicated they were a “yellow” patient, indicating they suffered moderate injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. They were transported to Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital.
Autopsies were performed on Monday on Scaccia and Paz and preliminary results confirmed both died as a result of blunt force injuries from the crash, Banek said.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) was activated and responded to conduct a full crash investigation.
Route 41 at Park Avenue was shut down due to the investigation and a detour at Central Avenue was in place. The road was reopened around 7:30 p.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by MCAT and the Highland Park Police Department.