3 year old dragged under car

Skiler Wright (Photo courtesy Wright family / August 27, 2009)

Skiler Wright was playing with pebbles on the side of the road about 7 p.m. Tuesday when she was hit and became wedged under a 1999 Dodge Intrepid that was backing out of a nearby driveway, said her aunt, Renee Wright. The 36-year-old driver then drove down the first block of Arlington Road in Fox Lake, Wright said.

"Skiler was screaming underneath the car. My dad and I were both screaming, and she didn't stop," her aunt said.

Seven people witnessed it and ran after the car and yelled until she stopped, Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz said.

The witnesses then lifted the car off the girl, whose head and shoulder were severely injured, he said.

"I was supporting one side of her head, and she kept saying 'Auntie Nene, it hurts. I want to go home,' " Wright said.

Skiler was airlifted to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. She is expected to recover, but she could suffer from seizures due to brain trauma and will have to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery, said her parents, Raymond and Crystal Wright.

Before the crash, Skiler already suffered from various medical conditions that forced her to eat through a feeding tube, including kidney and stomach reflux and problems with her pituitary gland, her mother said. She was planning to start her second year of special education preschool on Monday, her father said.

The driver is a friend of the Wright family, has baby-sat their young children, including Skiler, and taken them to the park, the Wrights said.

Skiler's parents said they do not blame the driver for what happened.

"Our hearts and prayers do go out to that family that hit her," Raymond Wright said. "They are our friends, and we know that she wouldn't do it on purpose. It was strictly an accident that just happened."

The driver and two passengers were brought to the Fox Lake police station for questioning -- and the driver, who is five months pregnant, complained of cramps and was taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry. She was treated and released Wednesday morning, Gliniewicz said. The woman had been staying with her parents, who live in the neighborhood, he said.

There is no indication alcohol was a factor, he said.

The Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County is expected to deliver a report next week, when the state's attorney's office will decide whether to charge the driver, authorities said.