We will update this post throughout the day as more facts are made available.
Francisco Cruz, 58, was struck and killed while biking in West Garfield Park Wednesday night by a cargo van driver who fled the scene. This newest tragedy happened the day after art student Lisa Kuivinen while riding a bike in West Town Tuesday morning. Cruz's death is the fourth bike fatality this year; all four cases involved a commercial driver.
Cruz was bicycling south on the 200 block of North Pulaski Road at 10:19 p.m. last night when the driver of a northbound white commercial cargo van turned left onto Maypole Avenue and fatally struck him, police said. The driver did not stop to render aid but instead contined west on Maypole.
Cruz, of the 1300 block of South Christiana in North Lawndale, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The police are trying to apprehend the driver and provided an image of the van taken by a security or traffic camera. The phone number visible on back of the van in the image is associated with Advanced Realty Network, a brokerage at 2427 West Madison. A call to the number reached a voicemail for the company. While it's not clear that the driver was employed by Advanced, presumably the police will visit the company for more information. Anyone who has information can contact the police at 312-745-4521.
As of Thursday afternoon, several people had left abusive comments in the reviews section of Advanced's Facebook page. Please keep in mind that this is inappropriate, since we don't even know for sure yet that the driver works for the company.
Cruz's death follows those of three other bike riders who were fatally struck by commercial vehicle drivers this summer. Courier Blaine Klingenberg was struck and killed by a tour bus driver on June 15 in the Gold Coast. Divvy rider Virginia Murray fatally struck by a flatbed truck driver on July 1 in Avondale, and Lisa Kuivinen was also struck and killed by a the driver of a flatbed truck on August 16. Active Transportation Alliance advocacy director Jim Merrell responded to the news on Twitter this morning, tagging Mayor Emanuel's and the Chicago Department of Transportation's accounts.
4 #bikechi fatalities, 4 commercial vehicles. I think I know one place where we can target #VisionZero @ChicagoDOT @ChicagosMayor
— Jim Merrell (@BeardedAction) August 18, 2016
"Vision Zero" is a strategy with the goal of preventing all traffic fatalities through better street design, legislation, enforcement, and education, which has recently been adopted by U.S. cities like New York. In 2012 the city of Chicago set a target of eliminating all traffic deaths by 2022, but so far it has not officially approved a Vision Zero plan.
At a Mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Council meeting earlier this month, CDOT deputy commissioner Luann Hamilton said that the city's Vision Zero steering committee "needs to meet to review the draft Action Plan" and that working groups comprising city staff have convened twice this year.
Fatality Tracker: 2016 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 14 (seven were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 4 (one was a hit-and-run crash)
Note: When commenting on articles about fatal crashes, please be mindful of the fact that family and friends of the victims may read the post.
