Driver In Hinsdale Fatal Crash Just Got License

HINSDALE, IL – The driver in the fatal 2023 crash in Hinsdale got his driver's license just five days before.

The 16-year-old received his driver's license on July 12, 2023. He was an employee of Fuller's Car Wash when he crashed, killing Hinsdale 14-year-old Sean Patrick Richards.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained the information on the 16-year-old's driver's license status from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

Last week, Patch wrote about a document that showed that a 25-year-old Fuller's employee who crashed on July 25, 2007, had no driver's license. He was later charged with driving without a license and failing to reduce his speed to avoid an accident.

Fuller's, which has a chain of car washes in the Chicago area, has not returned Patch's repeated messages since last year.

In the 2023 crash, the 16-year-old was charged with failure to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian on a sidewalk and failure to decrease speed to avoid colliding with a person.

On July 17, 2023, Richards was walking on the sidewalk in front of Fuller's when the 16-year-old employee struck him, crossed the street and crashed into Fontano's restaurant, injuring customers. The boy died days later.

Fuller's is facing multiple lawsuits.