Hit-and-run driver strikes another car in Humboldt, killing Delia Renee Smith crossing street

Update 8/18/22, 3:00 PM: The victim was identified as Delia Renee Smith.

Somber reminders of traffic violence are everywhere, if you pay attention. Two silver balloons and a mangled fence at Chicago and Kedzie mark the location where Delia Renee Smith was killed while crossing the street on Sept. 16, 2021. The responsible driver was never apprehended. pic.twitter.com/b3d0ikX02Y

— Jeremy Glover (@JGrantGlover) August 18, 2022

One person is in custody after a driver got in a head-on collision with another motorist Thursday night in Humboldt Park, causing a woman to be fatally struck while attempting to cross the street, and injuring three men in the other vehicle.

According to police, on Thursday, September 16, at about 8:05 p.m. the woman was in the process of crossing the south leg of the intersection of Chicago and Kedzie avenues, roughly 15-20 feet from the intersection. Chicago and Kedzie are each about five lanes here, which encourages speeding.

A person in a white Buick sedan was driving north on Kedzie when they struck a southbound black sedan, police said. One of the vehicles careened into the woman.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Cook Country medical examiner’s office has not yet released her identity.

The three men in the black sedan were transported to John Stroger Hospital in fair condition, police said.

The occupants of the Buick abandoned the car and fled on foot, according to police. As of late this afternoon one suspect was in custody and charges were pending.

Fatality Tracker: 2021 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets

Pedestrian: 13
Bicyclist: 7

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.