The motorist who struck and killed 47-year-old Sandra A. Mitchell on Sunday, May 20, has been charged with drunk driving.
At about 3:20 a.m. Mitchell and a group of friends were crossing the street in the 5100 block of South Archer Avenue in Archer Heights when Robert Cantu, 38, struck her with a gray 2007 Chrysler, according to authorities. The victim, who lived in the West Elsdon neighborhood, was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center and pronounced dead at 3:58 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
In addition to misdemeanor drunk driving, Cantu was charged with failure to reduce speed and failure to exercise due care for a pedestrian in the roadway, the Chicago Tribune reported.
According to her obituary, Mitchell is survived by her husband Thomas and two young daughters. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the girls’ education.
Fatality Tracker: 2018 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths Pedestrian: 21 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-April 2018 released by the Chicago Department of Transportation, plus media reports for May.
In addition to editing Streetsblog Chicago, John writes about transportation and other topics for additional local publications. A Chicagoan since 1989, he enjoys exploring the city on foot, bike, bus, and 'L' train.
According to the nonprofit shop's parent organization, BNR has paused its retail component, but is still doing after-school programming and looking for new staff.