During the pandemic car traffic has plummeted but speeding and crash severity is on the rise, while pedestrian activity and cycling is surging. Tragically, the need to respond to these trends and prevent a dangerous post-COVID spike in driving by enabling safe, socially-distanced walking, transit, and biking was laid bare this past week, when drivers fatally struck three pedestrians and a cyclist. Here's a rundown of the cases.
Cyclist Andrew Peterson, 37, died from injuries sustained when driver struck him on Near West Side
According to police, Peterson was biking east on Taylor Street, crossing Ruble Street, an access road to the Dan Ryan Expressway, at around 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, when a northbound Volkswagen driver struck him, the Sun-Times reported.
Peterson, who lived in the Gold Coast, died from his injuries on Saturday, May 23, at around 7:25 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The death was ruled accidental.
The driver, a 27-year-old man, was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, according to police.
Man dies after being struck by two drivers in West Humboldt Park
According to police, at about 9 PM on Saturday, May 23, a man was crossing the street in the 3800 block of West Chicago Avenue, when a motorist struck him and fled the scene, the Sun-Times reported. As he was lying in the street, a female GMC Terrain SUV driver, 24, ran over him.
The man was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital and later pronounced pronounced dead, according to the police. As of Saturday night the Cook County medical examiner’s office hadn’t identified him.
The woman, who stayed at the scene, told responding officers that she didn't see the victim because of poor visibility, police said. She was not cited.
Driver fatally struck man, 62, in Homan Square Sunday afternoon
On Sunday, May 24, at about 2:15 p.m., a 62-year-old man was in the 1100 block of South Kedzie Avenue in the Homan Square neighborhood when the northbound driver of a white Dodge Charger struck him, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy found that the death was unintentional, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which hadn't released the man's identity as of Monday afternoon, the Sun-Times reported.
Police were questioning a person of interest in the case on Monday, according to the Sun-Times, but as of this evening there were no charges or citations, according to Police News Affairs.
Hit-and-run driver fatally struck young female pedestrian at Harrison/Canal
On Monday, March 25, a woman in her 30s was crossing Canal Street at Harrison Street on the Near West Side when the driver of a stolen blue Ford Escape SUV struck her and fled the scene, police said. The motorist fled northbound.
The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, police said.
According to an ABC Chicago report, the motorist was driving a vehicle that was recently stolen from the 7-Eleven at Belmont and Racine in Lakeview. The SUV has front-end damage. Anyone with information is asked to call Major Accidents at 312- 745-4521.
Fatality Tracker: 2020 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets
Pedestrian: 11
Bicyclist: 2
Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago surface streets, based on media reports and/or preliminary Chicago Police Department data released by the Chicago Department of Transportation.
