Car crashes into Beach Park daycare

BEACH PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- A car crashed into a daycare in Beach Park Wednesday morning, but no one was seriously injured.

Shannence Harper, 24, was pouring syrup on the pancakes for breakfast at Lee's Family Daycare and Learning Center, located at 3883 Sheridan Road, when the unlicensed 16-year-old driver lost control of the car and crashed into the building at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday.

"(I saw a ) car coming into my classroom at full speed," Shannece Harper said. "What am I seeing? Am I really seeing this?"

No one was seriously injured, but an 11-year-old girl with scratches was taken to the hospital to be checked out. There were 21 children and eight adults inside the daycare when the car struck.

"Just speechless and still shook up," Harper said. "I thought about the kids and I knew I had to come to their rescue. I knew if it wasn't for me they probably could've been harmed."

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the driver of the car was turning into the driveway of the daycare center when she accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

"When I pulled up, my heart... All I could think about was the babies in the classroom. They were all fine," Antoinette Lee, daycare owner, said.

Crews towed the car away around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Police say their investigation found the driver's aunt allowed her to drive the car without a license of learner's permit. The driver was ticketed for operating a motor vehicle without a license and no insurance, while the aunt was cited for allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle.