Driver Exiting the Ryan Fatally Strikes Woman in West Chatham

A speeding driver who was exiting the Dan Ryan Expressway in the West Chatham neighborhood fatally struck a woman in her 20s who was crossing the street, police said.

Around 10 p.m. on Sunday, the woman, who has not yet been identified, was crossing South Lafayette Avenue at 87th Street in the crosswalk at the north leg of the intersection, according to police. The driver, a 23-year-old man, was heading south on Lafayette in a Volkswagen Passat “at a high rate of speed” after exiting the expressway, when he struck the victim, police said.

The woman’s body shattered the windshield, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her name has not yet been released by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The motorist and a female passenger, 24, were transported to Trinity Hospital in good condition and released this morning into police custody, according to police. Charges are pending. Major Accidents is investigating the case and has not yet announced whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

A local resident, who asked to be anonymous, told ABC News she uses this crosswalk, which is near the Red Line's 87th Street station, on a daily basis, and turning drivers often fail to stop for pedestrians. "People cross and then when the cars turn, like when I'm getting off work, they don't want to stop,” she said. “They don't want us to walk."

Fatality Tracker: 2015 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 12 (4 were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 2 (both were hit-and-run crashes)