A 31-year-old woman may face felony charges after her 6-year-old son was hospitalized in critical condition after an SUV plunged into a retention pond early Sunday in west suburban Aurora.
Officers responded about 2:40 a.m. to the area of Diehl Road and Interstate 88 after the woman lost control of her Nissan Xterra and went into the retention pond on the south side of the roadway, according to Aurora police.
The driver told police she had gotten off I-88 at Diehl, lost control of the SUV, gone through the intersection and wound up in the pond on the south side of the intersection.
Officers found the vehicle fully submerged in the pond, police said. The driver told officers they were on their way back to Cicero from a party in Aurora when the incident happened.
Four people — the driver, her 21-year-old sister, and her two daughters, 15 and 12 — were able to get out of the car, but the boy became trapped, police said.
An Aurora Fire Department Dive Team found the vehicle and boy about 80 feet from shore in about 15 feet of water, and pulled him from the water about 3:05 p.m., police said. Investigators believe he was in the water for about 30 minutes.
He was taken to an Aurora hospital in critical condition and later transferred to a Chicago hospital.
At least one of the other occupants of the vehicle was taken to a hospital, treated and released, police said.
All five of the vehicle’s occupants are from Cicero and appear to be related, police said. Details on their exact relationship were unknown.
Police said alcohol is believed to the “main factor” in the crash, and the driver remains in police custody, with felony charges expected to be filed Monday.
It was not known whether inclement weather played a role, but more than 5 inches of rain fell in the area on Saturday.
