Motorcyclist Fatally Struck Woman in Queen’s Landing Crosswalk

A motorcyclist has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving after he allegedly ran a red light on Lake Shore Drive, killing a woman who was walking in the crosswalk by Buckingham Fountain.

On Monday, October 19, at around 10:45 p.m., Katrin Kutscheidt, 25, a visitor from Germany, and her male partner, 40, were part of a group of pedestrians crossing the drive in the mid-block crosswalk, which has its own stoplight, according to police. Charles Lyons, 20, was speeding and driving between cars on his motorcycle when he blew the stoplight, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Lyons struck the couple, and the impact from the crash threw them 30 to 40 feet, according to the Tribune. Kutscheidt was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The male victim was taken to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition. As of Saturday, the man was in critical condition with major internal injuries and brain bleeding, the Tribune reported. The motorcyclist was thrown from his vehicle and suffered spinal cord injuries.

At a hearing on Saturday, Lyon, of the 800 block of West George Street was ordered held in lieu of $300,000 bail, the Tribune reported. According to prosecutors, he did not have a valid license and was speeding at 76 mph when he struck the couple.

Fatality Tracker: 2015 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 28 (11 were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 4 (two were hit-and-run crashes)