Last night a car driver struck and killed 34-year-old Jezniah Smith as he rode his bike in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The case appears to be the first bike fatality of 2017.
At about 10:40 p.m. Smith was riding west on Division Street when he was struck by the driver of a Chevy Cruze car who was heading northbound on Sacramento, according to Jose Estrada from Police News Affairs. The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Estrada said. Smith's identity was not immediately released to to the need to notify family members, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
As of midnight on Wednesday, no citations had been issued to the driver, a 36-year-old man who stayed at the scene, Estrada said. Major Accidents is investigating.
According to residents of a building next to the crash site, Smith was riding a hybrid bike, and may have been wearing an orange safety vest. Jonathan Loïc Rogers, a bike courier who stopped at the crash site at about 11:15 p.m., before the victim had been taken to the hospital, said the streets were very icy when he arrived at the scene.
Ghost Bikes Chicago will install a white-painted bicycle at the site as a memorial to the fallen cyclist if Smith's family grants permission, according to member Kristen Green.
Update 1/12/17, 1:20 PM: The victim has been identified, but his identity has not been released pending notification of kin, according to the medical examiner's office.
Correction 1/12/17, 11:00 PM: Statements about the victim's clothing and the road conditions were previously misattributed to Sean Williams, one of the nearby residents. The article has been edited accordingly. I apologize for the error.
Update 1/13/17, 8:00 AM: The victim has been identified as Jezniah Smith, 34. The post has been updated.
Update 1/13/17 12:15 PM: According to Police News Affairs, the driver has still not been cited. It is believed that the motorist had a green light.
Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 2 (one was a hit-and-run crash)
Bicyclist: 1
