Finnegan McKee, a 2-year-old boy, died in Illinois last month when a car crashed through the front door of a Portillo’s. McKee was enjoying an afternoon lunch with his parents, Schyler and Christian McKee, when the tragedy occurred.
The family is now suing the fast food restaurant for over $100,000, claiming that the parking configurations at the place were “unreasonably dangerous,” which caused the incident.
Attorney Louis A. Cairo, who is presenting the McKee family, told Law&Crime, “This is an absolutely devastating and heart-wrenching case.” He added, “They’re sitting at one of the tables closest to the entrance, they’re having a great time at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. He’s got his mom and dad, his grandma and grandpa, his aunt and uncle, he’s got his little brother, and next thing they know it’s absolute mayhem,”
The attorney recalled that Finnegan was killed by a 50-year-old woman on July 30. She allegedly hopped a curb and crashed her car into the front door of the establishment. According to Oswego police, the crash was unintentional, but investigations are still ongoing, as reported by WFLD. The authorities further revealed that the woman, who was driving the car, came from Canton, Michigan, when the incident happened.
In the wrongful death lawsuit filed by McKee’s family in Cook County Circuit Court, her name has not been mentioned. The family is accusing the establishment of not having a “barrier to prevent a vehicle incursion,” and other safety design measures.
The family of a 2-year-old boy who was killed when a car crashed into an Oswego Portillo’s last month is now suing the restaurant chain. https://t.co/1NfuBHyj7W
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) August 22, 2025
“The unthinkable happens as a car comes flying through the front door,” attorney Louis A. Cairo lamented. McKee’s family’s lawsuit states, “Portillo’s configured the parking lot so that parking spaces were positioned immediately in front of, and perpendicular to, the restaurant entrance, requiring vehicles to park head-in or back-in rather than parallel to the building frontage.”
“The parking spots immediately in front of the restaurant had no physical barriers, such as parking stops, parking bumpers, fencing, bollards or walls, any one of which would prevent or, at a minimum slow a vehicle from driving from the asphalt parking lot up onto the sidewalk and into the storefront,” the complaint alleges.
“Portillo’s situated its tables so as to locate its seated diners within feet of the glass entrance doors without any physical barriers between them and head-in parking spaces.”
On Friday, the bereaved family spoke at a press conference, expressing their grief over losing their 2-year-old in such a tragic way. “You don’t go out somewhere expecting not to come home with your 2-year-old,” the mother, Christina, said. “Nobody should have to go through that.”
Finnegan’s parents now hope that through this lawsuit, they will not only be able to bring justice for their little boy, but also save another child’s life from a potential tragedy like this.
