Every afternoon, Isabel Fuentes drove to McCormick Elementary School from her home in the Little Village neighborhood to pick up her son and a niece and nephew, who are pupils there.
But, what had been an afternoon routine turned into tragedy Thursday when Fuentes` car went out of control and smashed into a school doorway just as a group of kindergarteners were leaving the building at 2712 S. Sawyer Ave.
Two people-a grandmother on a similar mission and a four-year-old girl-were killed. Eight others, including seven children, were injured, three of them critically.
Fuentes was charged with negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Fuentes` son, Reuben, 14; a niece, Claudia Castenda, 8; and a nephew, Miguel Castaneda, 5, were waiting inside the school and escaped injury.
Reuben said he learned of the crash when the school`s principal reported that ”there had been a terrible accident” over the intercom.
”I ran outside,” the boy said. ”I saw my mother`s car. I thought maybe somebody stole the car or kidnaped her. I knew it wasn`t her fault. I saw the car, but my mom was gone.”
”I know she feels real bad,” he added. ”I can imagine how she feels.” Neighbors and relatives praised Fuentes, a 37-year-old Mexican-born widow, as ”nice,” ”religious,” ”a responsible woman who doesn`t drink or smoke” and ”a very beautiful woman.” Her husband, Reuben Sr., then 27, was shot to death in 1977 in a West Side tavern.
Neighbors also said Fuentes was a good driver.
They seemed equally surprised by the fact that she had been involved in a fatal crash and that police said she left the accident scene.
Fuentes was found by police a few blocks from the school in the home of her brother-in-law, Fernando Gutierrez.
”She was white with shock when she came,” Gutierrez said. ”She is a very religious woman. . . . The car went out of control. She walked away. Her mind was just scared.” He added that she told him she hit her head in the accident.
Gutierrez and Fuentes` son speculated that the brakes failed on her second-hand 11-year-old Chevrolet.
They said that brake fluid recently leaked from the car and a neighborhood man, described as an ”alley mechanic,” had made repairs.
Police, who took Fuentes to the Marquette District police station, said she made no attempt to explain what happened but asked to consult a lawyer.
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