Update 9/9/20, 10 AM: ABC Chicago reported that a 21-year-woman was driving the car "when she lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road," Chicago police. The driver and a 22-year-old female passenger were transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center with head injuries. Two passengers in the back seat, 26 and 27-year-old men, declined treatment.
The area near Belmont Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Lakeview seems to experience more than its fair share of car crashes, including two this week alone. Terrifyingly, in some cases, drivers have wound up on the Lakefront Trail, and it's a minor miracle that there appears to have been no recent incidents of these motorists striking path users. It's not clear exactly why this area is a problem spot, but it appears that better guard rail protection is needed.
Here's a rundown of some of the crash cases in this general area in recent years, in reverse chronological order. Not included is an August 1, 2020, collision between cyclists on the Lakefront Trail near Belmont that resulted in a fatal brain injury to Mark Goodman, 56.
September 4, 2020: Driver rolls over car, crashes onto Lakefront Trail near Belmont Avenue
This morning at about 5:05 a.m., someone called in a car crash on Lake Shore Drive near Belmont to the Chicago Police Department, the Sun-Times reported. Responding officers found the vehicle flipped on its roof on the Lakefront Trail. As of 11:45 a.m. this morning, Police News Affairs did not have information on whether anyone was injured.
"The car looked really bad," said Streetsblog reader Beth Medly, who encountered the wrecked vehicle on a bike ride this morning. "Hopefully no fatalities... Personally I've seen a few of these [crashes] at different locations on the trail. Makes me wish they had a more robust guardrail."
September 2, 2020: 4 people critically injured in Lake Shore Drive crash near Belmont Avenue
On Wednesday, September 2, around 6:40 a.m., two drivers collided in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive near Belmont, the Sun-Times reported.
This crash was from Wednesday morning right near there⬇️ pic.twitter.com/iH5484gQXs
— Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) September 4, 2020
Two people were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and two others were taken to Illinois Masonic, all in critical condition, according to police. The cars could be seen in a grassy area next to the road that morning.
As of this morning at 11 a.m., Police News Affairs had no updates on the case.
June 28, 2019: Driver crashes onto Lakefront Trail near Diversey Avenue bridge
On June 28th, 2019, at about 10:45 p.m., Streetsblog reader Brian Schaeflein was biking on the trail when he came across a car crash just south of Diversey bridge. “The sedan did not make it to the trail, but it was somehow facing the wrong direction in the grass,” Schaeflein said. “This seems like yet another example of why a real physical barrier needs to be erected along the entire length of LSD, to keep all the vehicles on the road and away from unsuspecting and unprotected pedestrians and cyclists.”
Police News Affairs was not able to immediately immediately confirm the incident.
November 30, 2018: Driver crashes through guardrail onto Lakefront Trail near Addison Avenue
On November 30, 2018, at about 2:40 a.m., a driver crashed on the 3500 block of North LSD, according to Police News Affairs.
Photos taken by Streetsblog reader Mattheis Carly showed the driver crashed through a steel guardrail near an offramp just south of Addison Street. The front end of the vehicle, a gray sedan, appeared to have been completely demolished by the impact with the railing, and possibly other factors such as an engine fire, Carly said.
November 14, 2018: Driver strikes tree, crashes onto the Lakefront Trail near Belmont Avenue
Early in the morning of November 14, 2018, a 27-year-old woman was driving a Volkswagen Passat north on the 3100 block of North Lake Shore Drive, when she struck a tree, a light pole and then a wooden snow fence before coming to rest on or near the Lakefront Trail.
The driver was later cited for negligent driving, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
July 2020: Taxi driver crashes onto Lakefront Trail near Belmont Avenue
Flickr user Ciscel posted the above photo of a crashed taxi on the Lakefron Trail near the Belmont Rocks.
Follow John Greenfield on Twitter at @greenfieldjohn.
