Police say the 67-year-old driver hit the gas instead of the brake, sending the vehicle speeding in reverse.
"There was one child, an 11-year-old boy, who was injured in the accident. He and his father were just about to exit the school, and the van came crashing through the doors," said Cmdr. Jay Patrick, Gurnee Police Department.
It happened around 3:45 Wednesday afternoon at Woodland Middle School in Gurnee.
The boy, an incoming sixth grader at the school this fall, was pinned underneath the minivan. Emergency responders needed special equipment to get him free.
"He had cuts and abrasions and was taken to Condell Hospital. The main entrance was damaged. However, the school itself did not sustain any structural damage," said Supt. Dr. Joy Swoboda, Woodland School District #50.
The Honda Oddyssey is registered to the owner of a nearby dry cleaning business. School officials identify him as a private vendor who was dropping off supplies.
That could be why the back of the vehicle was pointed toward the entrance.
Police continue to investigate, but no citations have been issued.
"The accident occurring all on private property, school property. Traffic laws don't really apply here unless we can find any evidence of negligence or carelessness or intoxication. And our initial investigation hasn't born any of that out at this point," said Cmdr. Patrick.
The boy who was injured was at the school with other students and parents for the district's annual "Proof of Residency" day, an event where incoming students confirm they live in the district.
