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

NILES, IL — Two people were taken to a local hospital after a car crashed into a townhome Thursday in Niles, police said.

Shortly before 8 a.m., the 74-year-old driver of a Mercedes SUV struck the garage of a townhome while trying to back out of a parking space in a residential complex in the 8900 block of West Heathwood Circle, according to Niles police.

After hitting the garage, the driver rapidly accelerated, drove across a yard and crashed into another townhome, resulting in most of her SUV ending up inside the home.

The driver and a 62-year-old woman inside the townhome was both taken to a local hospital with injuries police did not deem life-threatening.

An 18-year-old man who was also inside the townhome declined medical treatment, police said.

Investigators do not believe the driver was impaired and it is not being investigated as a crime, according to police, who do not expect to issue any citations over the crash because it took place entirely on private property.

Staffers from the village's Community Development Department checked out the damaged garage and townhome and concluded both of them remained habitable despite the impact.