Brenda April Mares, 22, Was Fatally Struck in Chatham

Blue Island resident Brenda April Mares, 22, was fatally struck in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood last Wednesday.

According to police, the driver of a Toyota Corolla ran over Mares at 78th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue at about 11 p.m. The motorist told responding officers that the victim had been lying in the street when he struck her.

Mares, who lived on the 13800 block of South Division in Blue Island, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The cause and manner of death is pending further investigation.

The Toyota driver, who was not injured, stayed at the scene and was not cited, according to police.

According to Mares' obituary, "Brenda had a heart of gold, and was so loved by all who knew her."

Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 35
Bicyclist: 4

Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago streets. The pedestrian count above is based on Chicago Police Department data for January through July released by the Chicago Department of Transportation, plus media reports for August through November. In addition to the on-street bike fatalities, on June 24 a cyclist was riding on a CTA train platform when he fell on the tracks and was fatally struck.