The young woman who was fatally struck by a right-turning flatbed truck driver yesterday while biking in Roscoe Village has been identified as Anastasia Kondrasheva, a 23-year-old health coach at an Edgewater health facility.
At around 7:50 a.m. Kondrasheva was biking north on Damen Avenue to her job at Harken Health, 5244 North Broadway, according to authorities and coworkers. When Kondrasheva reached Addison Street, a 38-year-old man driving a flatbed truck made a right turn in her path, striking her.
The cyclist went under the wheels of the vehicle and was killed instantly. An autopsy was scheduled for today, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The driver, whose vehicle bore a sign for Westmont Interior Supply House, a west-suburban construction supply company, was cited for failure to exercise due care for a bicyclist in the roadway, according to Police News Affairs.
Kondrasheva’s boyfriend Adrian Juarez told DNAinfo he became worried after a Harken Health employee called him and said Kondrasheva never arrived at work. Then he saw news reports about the crash.
"I saw the picture and it was her bike," Juarez told DNA. "This was the route she always took." He added that he was with Kodrasheva’s family. “We can't believe it...it's just shocking."
Kondrasheva, who graduated from Loyola University last year, began working at Harken last May, according to her LinkedIn profile. She lived on the 3600 block of West Shakespeare Avenue in Logan Square.
Juarez told DNA that Kondrasheva, a former Naperville resident, loved the outdoors and was a vegan who supported the cause of animal rights. She even made an online video to apply for a job with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
In addition, Juarez said his girlfriend was taking trapeze classes in hopes of becoming an acrobat. "Her dream as a girl was to perform in front of people and make them happy so she was learning how to do that and join the circus one day." He added that Kondrasheva also planned to pursue a medical degree.
Following Kondrasheva's death, Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey told the Tribune that this latest bike fatality, the sixth in the city this year, shows why the city's new Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths is badly needed. "This is another tragedy that underscores the urgency of our mission," he said.
A candlelight vigil and ghost bike installation is planned at the crash site this Friday from 6:30 to 7 p.m. More than 110 people have RSVPed on Facebook they plan to attend. We’ll have more info on the event soon.
Update 9/27/16 4:30 p.m.
Harken Health, Kondrasheva's employer has issued this statement: "We are very saddened to learn of the passing of Anastasia. She was an exceptionally valued care team member, and our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends from all of us at Harken Health."
A GoFundMe page with a fundraising goal of $10,000 has been been launched by friends of the Kondrasheva family "to help her family deal with this unimaginable tragedy and support them financially in their loss."
"[Kondrasheva] lived very passionately and courageously," the fundraising page states. "She was the light of any company. She was loved by everybody and she loved everyone in return."
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