Hit-and-Run Driver Killed Woman Who Had Collapsed in Austin Crosswalk

The case of a 50-year-old woman who collapsed while crossing the street in the Austin neighborhood on Monday, and was fatally struck by a driver who fled the scene, appears to be the first pedestrian fatality of 2017.

Security camera footage from a nearby gas station shows that the woman was crossing southbound in the east leg of the intersection of Chicago and Lorel avenues at about 6:15 a.m. when she fell to the ground in the crosswalk. ABC reported that a driver in a dark-colored car then stopped by the woman and turned on his hazard lights in an effort to warn other motorists, and two bystanders ran over to help her.

John Moore, one of the people who tried to assist the woman, told ABC that, despite the fact that the first driver was trying to direct traffic around the woman, a motorist speeding eastbound in a mid-sized white sedan ran over her and fled the scene. “He couldn't help but see her because she had on a brightly colored coat so it's not like she was in something dark," Moore said. The victim was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

The woman’s name has not been released, pending notification of kin, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. As of this morning, no one was in custody, according to Police News Affairs. The police have released a security image of the hit-and-run driver’s vehicle. They are asking people with information about the crash to call 312-745-4521.

Nearby resident Dollie Sherman said there’s a speeding epidemic on this wide stretch of Chicago Avenue, so it’s not surprising someone got killed. "You always have speeding cars down here,” she said. “That's why just this year we got three speed bumps put on our block."

Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 1 (one was a hit-and-run crash)