Niles Mother, Son Sue Driver Who Crashed Into Their Living Room

NILES, IL — A Niles resident and her son have sued the driver who crashed an SUV into their townhome last week, alleging that the motorist was negligent when she drove into their living room.

Vincenzina Nobile, 62, and her 18-year-old son, Matteo, were inside their home in the 8900 block of West Heathwood Circle on the morning of Dec. 21, according to the five-count civil suit filed on their behalf.

Shortly before 8 a.m. that day, authorities say the driver of a 2011 Mercedes GLK350 attempting to back out of a parking space drove into a garage, then rapidly accelerated, drove across a yard and crashed into the living room of another home.

Bok Kim, identified in the suit as the 72-year-old SUV driver, is accused of negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress upon both residents.

The owner of the car is also named as a defendant for allegedly negligently allowing her to drive it when she should have known that Kim would operate it in a "careless, reckless or incompetent manner."

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According to the suit, filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, both Nobiles "suffered a severe and immediate emotional response from experiencing the trauma of witnessing a car crash into her home."

The older resident and the driver were both taken to an area hospital after the crash. The teen declined to be transported by ambulance.

“Our clients’ lives were completely upended when Ms. Kim drove a Mercedes SUV into the Nobile’s living room," said Timothy Cavanagh, the Nobiles' attorney.

"The crash has taken a tremendous toll on the Nobile family during the holiday season," Cavanagh said in a statement. "We have filed a lawsuit to obtain critical evidence including surveillance video footage depicting the crash.”

Niles police had said they do not believe the driver was impaired and did not plan to investigate the crash as a criminal matter and would not issue any citations over it because it took place entirely on private property.

Related: Woman, 74, Crashes In Garage Before Accelerating Into Niles Townhome