Turning Van Driver Fatally Struck Kiare Woods, 2, in West Englewood Last Week

A van driver who made a made a left turn without checking for pedestrians in the crosswalk took the life of two-year-old Kiare Woods as he and his aunt crossed the street in a crosswalk last Thursday evening around 5:30 p.m. in West Englewood.

Security video from a convenience store at the southwest corner of 71st and Damen shows the aunt bending down and talking with the boy as they wait at the corner for the light. After the signal changes and, holding hands, they begin crossing east across Damen, the westbound driver of a red van turns south, striking them as they are in the middle of the street.

The aunt was thrown into the street by the impact and sustained injuries to her arm, but the driver ran over Kiare. The aunt stood up and ran to the boy, then carried him to the sidewalk. Passers-by ran to the corner to help, some of them removing their jackets to place under the child. Kiare, who lived on the 7600 block of South Aberdeen, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition and later pronounced dead, according to authorities. The aunt was treated for her injuries.

The van driver, a 69-year-old woman, was given a sobriety test after the crash by police. She was later issued two citations for failure to exercise due care for pedestrians in the roadway.

Fatality Tracker: 2018 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 9
Bicyclist: 1

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 2018 released by the Chicago Department of Transportation, plus media reports for February through April.