After a 2-year-old boy was killed in July when a car crashed into the front entrance of the Portillo’s restaurant in Oswego, the village is looking at requiring new commercial buildings to install barriers to protect pedestrians along sidewalks or store entrances.

Portillo’s is in the process of installing protective barriers in front of the restaurant, including bollards. A bollard is a short vertical post used to manage traffic and parking around areas where there are a lot of pedestrians.

As Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said during the Oct. 7 Oswego Village Board meeting, the village currently follows the 2021 international building code regulations, which do not require any protection measures.

“Other elements, such as parking lot curbing, parking blocks and distance between parking spaces and front entrances are seen as sufficient protection,” he said.

However, the village has gone beyond the regulations by requiring outdoor dining areas be protected with bollards, planters or reinforced fencing that could prohibit a vehicle from entering the seating area.

“We’ve had this in place for almost 20 years,” Zenner said.

He said that bollards or large planters could be placed around public entrances in a way that could stop a vehicle while not prohibiting access to the site or restricting accessibility requirements or fire department access.

“I think that’s something that could be easily done for all new developments,” he said.

Zenner said the village could also work with the owners of existing commercial properties and see if they are interested in implementing such protective measures.

Village President Ryan Kauffman liked the idea of using planters as a protective measure.

“That’s a little more aesthetically pleasing,” he said. “We want to balance aesthetics with function.”

Village trustee Jennifer Hughes said she would like to see such protective barriers also be put in place at day care centers that have outdoor playgrounds along with senior apartment buildings.

“We go to great lengths to protect some of our special events to make sure that vehicles can’t enter into pedestrian areas,” she said. “So I would think we need to make sure that we’re going to take an holistic look to make sure we’re protecting a lot of pedestrian friendly areas.”

Oswego police have been investigating what caused the driver of a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Sedan to crash into the entrance. The vehicle was driven by a 50-year-old woman from Canton, Michigan, who was the only occupant in the vehicle, police said.

It is not known if the driver was having a medical emergency at the time of the crash, Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin has said.

The family of the 2-year-old boy who was killed in the crash is seeking more than $100,000 in damages as part of a lawsuit it has filed against Portillo’s.

In the suit, it states the driver “while maneuvering into a parking space directly in front of the restaurant’s entrance, suddenly accelerated the 2011 Lincoln MKZ forward, causing the vehicle to jump the curb, crash through the front of the restaurant, and fatally strike plaintiff’s decedent.”

All of the 13 victims, including the toddler, were in the restaurant at the time of the crash. Eight people, including the 50-year-old driver of the vehicle, were taken to area hospitals.

With the exception of the 2-year-old child, the individuals taken for injuries ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s.

Five other people were treated at the scene and declined further medical treatment.