April 20--A 9-year-old Plainfield girl was killed in an ATV crash Tuesday evening, police said.
The all-terrain vehicle, driven by a 53-year-old man, was traveling south along Ridge Road when it left the paved path and went into a grassy area and into a rocky culvert, police said.
First responders found the ATV about 6:55 p.m. Tuesday just west of Ridge Road between 135th Street and Plainfield Road. The girl, a passenger, was unconscious and not breathing. She was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The Cook County medical examiner's office identified her as Alexis Richardson.
The 53-year-old man suffered injuries and was taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center. Plainfield police Sgt. Mike Fisher said the man, who lives in Plainfield, had serious injuries but was in stable condition.
Fisher said the girl was wearing a helmet.
Fisher said the man is an acquaintance of the girl's mother. Fisher earlier had said the man and the girl were related.
Fisher noted the paved path is in the Grande Park subdivision, where the girl's family lived. The paved path ends just a few yards from the culvert, which is in an area lower than the path.
"There's a decline from the grass down into the culvert," Fisher said. "It could be difficult to see."
A large barricade was placed at the end of the path late Wednesday morning.
Ridge was closed for about five hours Tuesday night as police investigated the scene, Fisher said. The crash remains under investigation.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter.
