Woman, 74, Pinned Under Car At Walmart's Parking Lot: No Charges From Joliet Police For Now

JOLIET, IL — A 74-year-old woman from Channahon suffered serious injuries when she was run over and pinned underneath a vehicle following a Walmart parking lot fender bender collision Tuesday afternoon that turned into a far more serious situation.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, at 2:18 p.m., fellow officers responded to the parking lot of Walmart at 2424 W. Jefferson St. for a woman struck by a vehicle.

A Chevrolet Cruze, driven by a 37-year-old Joliet man, backed out of a parking stall and crashed into the passenger side of a Ford Escape that was stopped faced southbound in the lane waiting for another uninvolved vehicle to back out.

Following the initial collision, a 74-year-old female passenger and the adult female driver from the Ford Escape got out of their vehicle to check the damage and speak with the other driver.

"During this interaction, it is believed that the driver of the Chevrolet Cruze began driving in reverse, striking the woman and causing her to fall to the ground. The driver then drove forward, hitting the woman while she was on the ground and pinning her beneath the vehicle," English said.

The Chevrolet also collided with an unoccupied parked vehicle during the incident, police said.

Several bystanders in the parking lot responded to assist the victim and to prevent the Chevrolet from driving any further, English said.

The victim was taken to St Joseph Medical Center by the Joliet Fire Department with serious injuries. The injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.

The driver of the Chevrolet Cruze was detained at the scene and taken to the Joliet Police Department for questioning. Following questioning, the male driver was released pending additional investigation and processing of evidence in this case.

"This crash remains under active investigation by the Joliet Police Department Traffic Unit," English wanted everyone to know.