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NewsMonday, October 15, 2007 1:27 PM CDT
Boy, 7, accidentally drives van into bushes, trees
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NORMAL — A 7-year-old boy was treated at a local hospital after accidentally driving a minivan backward into a series of trees and bushes Friday morning.

Andrew L. Kozak, of the 700 block of Golf Crest Road, was treated and released from BroMenn Regional Medical Center. The accident happened about 8:15 a.m. in a parking lot near his home, police said.

The boy got into a Dodge Caravan to get his jacket when he put a key in the ignition, started the minivan and put it in reverse, a police report said. The minivan rolled into a ditch and struck several trees and bushes.

The boy tried to get out the driver’s side door, but his foot was trapped when the open door came to rest against a branch, police said.

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Reader comments on this story - 8 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

newbie wrote on Oct 16, 2007 3:02 PM:

" Cute? This isn't cute at all! This is just another case of a parent not teaching a child wrong from right. My children knew they should never do something like that and the keys were never readily available. This story has a fortunate end but it could have been much worse, especially if this vehicle had rolled into a busy street. Cute? Not even close. Just another example of how people view the same thing from different angles. "

oh my wrote on Oct 16, 2007 9:14 AM:

" this is kind of funny, my lil cousin did this at age 4 and as she tried to jump out she got run over, so i am very happy the lil boy was ok... i make sure to always shut off my car if my kids are in/around it. because they are the kind of curious boys that would do this sort of thing!! LOL cute story since the boy was ok, hopefully learned a lesson until he is old enough to drive like that on purpose!! :) "

JB wrote on Oct 16, 2007 5:16 AM:

" Future NASCAR driver??? "

Was he ticketed? wrote on Oct 15, 2007 6:59 PM:

" Surely that is some sort of violation. Improper backing on a roadway? Driving without a license? "

Thank goodness** wrote on Oct 15, 2007 6:33 PM:

" The boy is ok, and he learned a lesson! "

Big Man wrote on Oct 15, 2007 6:25 PM:

" I think if my kid did this, I would introduce him to the belt. "

I did it too wrote on Oct 15, 2007 6:04 PM:

" I did this when I was little. I put our van into neutral and it was on a hill. It hit a utility pole and the pole, luckily, fell the other direction. Boy, mom and dad were mad!! "

Happy Reader wrote on Oct 15, 2007 4:31 PM:

" Hey what's the deal here. I thought you didn't use children's names if they were under a certain age. And to use it with his address is titally wrong! That is dangerous business in todays crazy world in my book. "

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