1-Year-Old Boy Is Hit by a Car in Front of Parents Minutes after His Last 'Happy' Lunch with Family

What was supposed to be a joyful day for a Chicago family turned into a nightmare after they dined at a restaurant. Their 18-month-old baby suddenly ran into the road, and what happened next was something they will never forget.

After working five days a week, many of us look forward to spending quality time with our friends and family. Recalling memorable moments from our childhood and laughing over some silly jokes helps us unwind.

One Chicago family was left heartbroken moments after they had a meal together. A horrifying incident turned their lives upside down soon after they stepped out of a restaurant to head home.

Family Time

It was a Monday afternoon when the Rios family was having lunch at an Albany Park restaurant. The family included an 18-month-old baby, Hermes Cardona-Rios, his mother, Jocelyn Rios, father, sibling, aunt, and grandmother.

The entire family enjoyed their lunch at Ruby's Fast Food on October 3, 2022, and headed to their car parked on Pulaski Road, right outside the restaurant. Their server, Enzo Geronimo, said:

"They really just looked like a happy family in the end."

The Unthinkable

Little did the family know that a tragedy would strike when they least expected it. The unthinkable happened while Hermes's father was tucking him into the car seat.

What she underwent that afternoon was something no parent deserves to experience.

"Once they left our store – I think about like five, 10 minutes later – that's when everything really happened," Geronimo revealed. Another server recalled seeing a group of people surrounding the family's SUV moments after they exited the restaurant.

The Toddler Escaped

According to the family, little Hermes escaped the vehicle before his father could secure him in the back seat. Not knowing how his life would soon end, the little boy ran into the street.

Jocelyn and her husband's worst nightmare came alive when a pickup truck suddenly hit their little boy. Instead of stopping to see what had happened to Hermes, the pickup truck driver sped away.

In no time, bystanders gathered around the family's SUV and tried to revive the boy by performing CPR. Meanwhile, Jocelyn cried seeing her child in pain. What she underwent that afternoon was something no parent deserves to experience.

The Heartbreaking News

Soon, Hermes was rushed to Lurie Children's Hospital. While Jocelyn prayed for her little one's life, the doctors tried their best to resuscitate the toddler. Unfortunately, Hermes succumbed to his injuries two hours after the horrifying incident.

Losing her little one left Jocelyn devastated. She had never imagined watching her baby get hit by a vehicle and breathe his last. She expressed her feelings in a heartfelt Facebook post, saying:

"[I'll] miss your cries and [being] able to rub [your] head to sleep. You were my other half, baby, my precious baby."

The Devastated Mother

"My smile is lost without you. My heart is missing," Jocelyn added. She couldn't imagine living without her little one, but fate had put her in a situation where she was now raising funds for her beloved baby's funeral.

Jocelyn set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $5,000. As of October 5, people have donated more than $5,200, and the donations are still pouring in.

Meanwhile, the authorities are trying their best to catch the hit-and-run driver. They released photos of a two-tone dark-colored Ford pickup truck involved in the incident and asked people to contact them if they had any information.

The Community

Albany Park community members showed up at the accident site to light candles and pray for the little angel. Maurine Devine, an Albany Park resident, said:

"I'm a mother myself, and this is like such a traumatic thing that I felt like I had to do something."

A server at Ruby's Fast Food said the tragedy reminded him of the uncertainty of life. He said it taught him to "cherish every moment" and live his life to the fullest.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Joyce and her family as they deal with this painful tragedy. We hope the authorities soon catch the hit-and-run driver involved in this heartbreaking incident.

Click here to read about another hit-and-run case where a one-year-old girl breathed her last in her mother's arms.