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Driver Struck and Killed Cyclist Louis Smith, 56, in East Garfield

12:07 PM CDT on June 6, 2017

The 100 block of North Homan Avenue. Image: Google Street View

Last night a motorist struck and killed 56-year-old Louis Smith as he bicycled in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

At about 8:35 p.m. Smith was biking north on the 100 block of North Homan Avenue, on the east side of the Garfield Park green space, police said. As a female driver in a Chrysler 200 was heading southbound on Homan, Smith "swerved into the vehicle," according to the crash report. It's not clear whether there were any witnesses to the collision, and since the victim is not alive to tell his side of the story, this may simply be the driver's description of what happened.

Smith, who lived in the 100 block of North Sangamon in the West Loop, was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

SCENE - Bicyclist hit by car. Critically injured.Homan/Lake @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/AWgVF5ORhU

— Greg Kelly (@CBS2Greg) June 6, 2017

The driver, who had no reported injuries, had not been cited as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Major Accidents is investigating the crash.

There are no traffic cameras at this location. Hopefully the investigators will search for security camera footage from nearby buildings that may reveal what actually took place.

This collision took place exactly six blocks east from the intersection of Maypole and Pulaski in West Garfield Park, where a hit-and-run driver killed cyclist Francisco Cruz, 58, last August. That motorist is still at large.

Smith's death is the second Chicago bike fatality of 2017. In January, driver Jeffrey Martin Randall, 36, fatally struck Jezniah Smith on his bike at the intersection of Division and Sacramento in Humbodlt Park. The cyclist's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 12 (four were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 2

Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s fatality numbers are based on media reports. According to fatality numbers released at a recent Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council meeting, there had been 14 pedestrian deaths in Chicago this year as of April 30. 

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