2013 Chicago fatality stats*:
Pedestrian: 3 (2 were from a hit-and-run crash)
Pedalcyclist: 0
Transit: 1
Dismembered Body Found on Blue Line Tracks at LaSalle Station
On Monday, January 14, at about 1:45 am a CTA conductor spotted the mangled body of a man on the subway tracks of the LaSalle Street Blue Line stop, the Tribune reported. The conductor was pulling into the station when he noticed what looked like a duffle bag on the tracks near a restricted area of the platform. When he stopped to investigate he found the “mangled body of an individual” who had apparently been struck by another train, according to Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. The identity of the male victim had not been released by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as of press time. Area Central detectives were investigating the case.
Truck Driver Kills 73-Year-Old Woman on West Side, No Ticket or Charges
Lydia Torcedilla, 73, was fatally struck by a truck driver at about 1 pm on Tuesday, January 22, in the Illinois Medical District neighborhood, the Tribune reported. The crash occurred on the 800 block of South Ashland Avenue, four blocks west of the woman’s home. The driver of the Crane Carrier truck told police he tried to stop to avoid hitting the woman, and he stopped after the crash. The victim was reported dead at 2:22 pm at nearby John H. Stroger Hospital. As of press time, the driver had not been ticketed or charged, according to the Tribune.
3800 block of West 87th Street.
Woman Charged With DUI After Crash Kills Two People Changing Tire on SW Side
Delia Aguila, 27, was driving 60 MPH and swerving across traffic lanes on the 3800 block of West 87th Street when she fatally struck William Brunson, 39, and Victoria R. Means, 34, as they replaced a flat tire on the side of the road, according to a witness. The crash took place around 10:45 pm on Saturday, January 26. The victims were both thrown more than 100 feet by the impact, the Tribune reported. Brunson was pronounced dead at the scene; Means was pronounced dead soon afterwards at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Aguila fled the scene in her SUV and was found by police a few blocks away with her car stuck on some railroad tracks with the wheels spinning as she stepped on the gas, according to the Tribune. A blood test showed her blood-alcohol level to be more than twice that allowed by law, and there was an open bottle of vodka in the car. Records show Aguila, who works as a dental hygienist, never had a driver’s license. She has been charged with two counts of aggravated DUI involving a death, and several other felonies and misdemeanors. Bond was set at $300,000.
View previous Fatality Tracker posts on Steven Vance and John Greenfield's previous transportation news website Grid Chicago.
