Police are searching for the hit-and-run SUV driver who fatally struck 64-year-old Alberto Zavala, a florist who was a fixture in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood for over a quarter of a century.
On Sunday, July 15, at a bout 10 p.m., Zavala was crossing the 5200 block of Fullerton, two blocks east of his flower shop at 5454 W. Fullerton, when the eastbound motorist struck him and fled northbound on Laramie. "He was trying to cross," witness Christopher Orengo told ABC Chicago. "That's when he got hit by a white vehicle speeding very fast. That's when we tried to go to help him out."
Zavala, who lived a block from the crash site, was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He is survived by four children plus grandchildren.
Friends say Zavala was a kind and thoughtful man. "[The driver] should have been responsible enough to stop and actually help him," Zavala's neighbor Jazmine Osborne told ABC.
Police say the SUV is a Ford Edge, possibly with tinted windows, and part of its driver side mirror was taken off in the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 312 745-4521.
Fatality Tracker: 2018 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 24
Bicyclist: 2
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, June, and July.
