On July 30, 2025, a devastating crash at a Portillo’s restaurant in Oswego, Illinois forever altered the lives of dozens of families. A vehicle drove through the restaurant’s front entrance, killing a 2-year-old child and injuring more than a dozen patrons. GWC Injury Lawyers is honored to represent multiple victims of this incident, including the family of the young boy whose life was tragically cut short.
While officials initially described the incident as a “tragic accident,” early investigation tells a far different story—one of foreseeability and preventable danger. The Portillo’s parking lot and entrance were designed with nose-in parking directly in front of a glass entrance, without concrete parking bumpers, bollards, or other vehicle impact protections. Even more troubling, the restaurant had installed protective measures elsewhere on the property, choosing to safeguard parts of the building and a light pole while leaving diners exposed at the most vulnerable point of entry.
This is not an isolated oversight. Vehicle-into-building crashes are a known and recurring risk, particularly in high-traffic commercial areas. Simple, widely accepted safety measures—such as bollards or reinforced barriers—have long been recognized as best practices across Illinois and the country.
What makes the Oswego tragedy a legal and societal inflection point is what happened next.
In record time, the Village of Oswego passed what is now known as Finnegan’s Law, named in honor of the child who lost his life. The ordinance requires newly constructed buildings and certain outdoor uses to install vehicle impact protection—such as bollards or reinforced planters—around entrances, storefront windows, outdoor dining areas, and play spaces. It also establishes standards for placement, spacing, and impact resistance.
This law did not create a new concept of safety. Instead, it formally aligned municipal code with what communities, safety experts, and responsible business owners have long understood: protecting patrons from foreseeable vehicle intrusions is part of a business owner’s reasonable standard of care. In doing so, Oswego reaffirmed a principle deeply rooted in Illinois premises-liability law—when a danger is foreseeable, inaction is a choice, and that choice carries consequences.
At GWC Injury Lawyers, our clients seek accountability not only in the courtroom, but in the real-world changes that prevent future loss of life. Finnegan’s Law stands as proof that meaningful reform can come from tragedy—and that families affected by unimaginable loss can still help protect others.
No law can undo what happened on July 30. But by reinforcing long-standing safety obligations and demanding better from businesses, this community has taken an important step toward ensuring that no other family has to endure the same heartbreak.
For questions concerning Finnegan’s Law or the litigation related to this wrongful death matter, contact Louis A. Cairo at 847-542-5955 or lcairo2@gwclaw.com.