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Hinsdale café owner urges village to install bollards after crash, chief says placement is ready pending survey
Summary
Cafalla Fortuna owner Angela Lavelli asked trustees to install protective barriers after a Sept. 29 crash injured two customers and prompted insurers to decline renewal; the village chief said locations have been surveyed and placements await a final survey result.
Angela Lavelli, owner of Cafalla Fortuna, told the Board of Trustees the business faces possible closure unless protective bollards are installed outside her storefront.
Lavelli said a Sept. 29, 2025 crash in which a vehicle struck two customers seated on a café bench left one woman with a leg amputation and led insurers to decline to renew the café's liability policy. "If we don't acquire any insurance, we cannot open," Lavelli said, adding that her current policy expires March 16, 2026.
She asked the village to erect bollards or other acceptable barriers "at the earliest possible time" and asked for confirmation of a date to have them installed.
A village chief provided a public update later in the meeting: staff met with Lavelli and public services earlier in the week, the proposed bollards are Jersey barriers, and the village received the needed survey the afternoon of the meeting. "We're pretty ready to go," the chief said, but added the project is awaiting that final survey and coordination with staff.
President Hart and staff committed to continue coordination with the business on timing and logistics; no binding timeline or firm installation date was given during the meeting.
The board did not take formal action during the public-comment item; trustees thanked Lavelli for raising the concern and noted staff follow-up.
