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Speeding Driver Kills Elderly Man, Injures 5 in Edgewater Pileup

6:16 PM CDT on July 31, 2014


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The crash site, from the driver's perspective.

A senior is dead and five others are injured, after a reckless driver crashed into several parked cars in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood, officials said.

At around 11:12 a.m. Wednesday, a 58-year-old man was driving a Ford Focus sedan northbound on Sheridan at a high rate of speed, swerving around other vehicles, according to Officer VeeJay Zala from Police News Affairs.

The driver passed several cars stopped at a red light at the three way intersection of Sheridan Berwyn, according to Zala. He then attempted to pass a stopped CTA bus on the right and collided with several cars parked on the 5300 block of North Sheridan, Zala said. Photographs published on DNAinfo.com show that the crash occurred in front of Tedino’s Pizzeria, 5335 North Sheridan.

When the crash occurred, Frank Kiley, 71, and his fiancée were loading groceries from the nearby Care for Real food pantry into his car, NBC reported. During the pileup, Kiley was pinned between two vehicles, and one of the parked cars struck the bus, according to NBC.

Kiley, of the 3900 block of North Clark was pronounced dead on the scene at 11:51 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The driver was taken to Illinois Masonic hospital in stable condition, according to Zala. Three other people – a 69-year-old woman, a 65-year-old woman, and a 64-year-old man – were transported to Weiss Hospital, where they were treated and released, and a 48-year-old man was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital, where he was treated and released, Zala said.

Charges are pending against the driver, Police said.

Update: The driver has been identified as Vladimir Tsemekhman, of the 800 block of West Belle Plaine, the Tribune reports. Tsemekhman has been charged with reckless homicide; a bond hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Fatality Tracker: 2014 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths

Pedestrian: 17 (5 were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 2 (1 was a hit-and-run crash)

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