Mom of Injured Boy Urges Vigilance Behind the Wheel

There have been many difficult days for the Ihde family since their son, , was struck by a car in February while riding his bike in Darien.

The day Terra Ihde, Hunter’s mom, found out the maximum penalty for failing to yield to a pedestrian in Illinois is typically a $500 fine had its own brutality.

“Nothing is going to fill the void,” Ihde said. “No amount of money, no jail time will replace what we lost, but it’s just another dagger in the back.”

, but was left severely disabled. Doctors say it is unlikely he will walk or talk again.

While Ihde spends her days caring for her son, who came home from a rehabilitation center earlier this summer, she is also urging drivers to take a close look at their habits in the car.

“A life can be taken away in a second,” she said. “There’s no going back. Your actions behind the wheel are permanent.”

The state of Illinois has taken a lead in the movement to regulate distracted driving by enacting three laws in July, including one that bans cell phone use in road construction zones. Illinois already bans texting while driving.

“It’s easy to get distracted—your phone vibrates, you notice you got an email—and that’s exactly what we want to stop,” said Daniel Persky, director of policy and planning at the Active Transportation Alliance, an advocacy group for cyclists and pedestrians.

Next up is a bill awaiting approval in the Illinois Senate that bans use of all handheld mobile devices while driving. The Illinois House passed HB 3972 in March.

Every bill the alliance has advocated in the Illinois General Assembly has passed, if sometimes narrowly, Persky said.

The next step, he said, is enforcement.

“Police have a no-tolerance policy for drunken driving,” Persky said. “We think they should make the exact same commitment to distracted driving. If they see someone texting, pull them over.”

It’s exactly the type of advocacy Ihde hopes to see. She encourages Illinois residents to email their representatives to push for tighter regulations.

“The more people they hear from, the better the chance they’ll do something,” she said.

She also hopes that eventually the penalties for striking a pedestrian are as severe as they are for accidents involving road construction workers. Anyone convicted of hitting a construction worker faces up to 14 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

“One life isn’t more valuable than the next,” she said. “Punishment should be the same across the board.”

Ihde said prosecutors are unable to use cell phone records to determine if mobile-device use played a role in the accident that injured Hunter.

Timothy J. Hagan, of Darien, pleaded not guilty to charges that he failed to yield as he made a right turn onto Lemont Road the day Hunter was hit. Hagan’s case will be heard Thursday in Downers Grove Field Court.

Ihde said she still can’t drive past the site of the accident for fear she’ll have a breakdown. Hunter didn’t die that day, she said, but he is no longer the spirited young boy who loved his sisters and couldn’t wait to play football at . 

“I hope Hunter surprises us one day,” she said. “I hope there’s a miracle for him.”

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