A garbage truck on Thursday drove into the front of an antique store in LaGrange Park.
The truck, operated by Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), was turning left from Newbury Avenue onto 31st Street when it continued to turn left, driving over the sidewalk and through a tree and concrete planters before continuing into the facade of Heart’s Desire Antiques, 1014 E. 31st St., said Susan Hull, the store’s owner.
Hull said the store, which has been open at the location for 28 years, was empty of people and had not yet opened for the day when the crash occurred.
“I got a phone call at like 8 a.m. that this truck was in my store,” she told the Landmark. “It was really a shock.”
The truck destroyed a large amount of the store’s inventory that it struck, and the force of the collision sent debris flying that struck more of the antiques in the back of the store, Hull said. She said the truck drove about 15 feet into the store before coming to a stop.
According to a written statement from the LaGrange Park Police Department, the incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Thursday. The driver of the garbage truck was treated on the scene by paramedics and taken to the hospital “with non-life-threatening injuries,” the release said.
The 1000 block of East 31st Street was closed to traffic in both directions until about 10:53 a.m. following police assessments and cleanup of the area. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
LRS representatives were not available Thursday afternoon over the phone or through the company’s online contact form to answer questions from the Landmark.
Hull said she was told not to enter the store due to the possibility of structural damage caused by the crash, though clean-up crews had finished boarding up the hole in the facade with wood by 2 p.m. on Thursday.
“Until a structural engineer comes out, we can’t open. It’s a hardship,” she said.
Hull said she worried the store would not be able to reopen for the Halloween or Christmas seasons, when Heart’s Desire sees a major uptick in business.
“We’ve lost a lot in potential sales, but that’s a day-to-day thing. Sometimes, you’ll have thousands of dollars sold in a day,” she said.
Michele, an employee at the shop who declined to share her last name, said she heard about the crash through a post on the Brookfield Connections group on Facebook. Images of the incident appeared in the group as early as 8:33 a.m. on Thursday.
“Sue wasn’t answering her phone, so I threw some clothes on and came over because I needed to see what was happening,” she said. “I have no words.”
She said she never thought an incident like this one could happen due to the tree and planters between the facade and the street.
Andrea Slivka, who owns the adjacent Happier Now Cafe & Market, said she was shocked at the force of the collision that left the truck halfway within the store.
Slivka said she was thankful no one was injured, especially no children passers-by, as Thursday was the first day of the 2025-26 school year in LaGrange Park, and students may have been walking to nearby Forest Road Elementary School moments before the crash.
Hull said the most touching thing has been the outreach she’s experienced from the community.
“The village manager came over right away,” Michele said.
“The customers and neighbors that have reached out to us … They’ve all been really great,” Hull said of the community and village staff who responded to the crash. “I’m just hoping this all gets fixed and done fast.”
While she couldn’t yet name the date, Hull said Heart’s Desire will have a grand reopening once the store is back in working order.
