Driver runs red, killing woman, 52, waiting for the bus in Auburn Gresham, flees

A 52-year-old woman killed while waiting for a bus Tuesday in Auburn Gresham, by a hit-and-run driver who ran a red, was the 16th on-street Chicago pedestrian fatality this year.

According to the Chicago Police Department, on Tuesday, September 28, at about 9:55 a.m., a 23-year-old man was driving a Chevrolet Impala sedan west on the 1100 block of West 81st Street with a baby in his car when he went through a green light at Racine Avenue. A 26-year-old man driving a Chrysler 300 sedan was heading north on Racine and continued through the red light.

The Impala driver struck the Chrysler in the intersection, causing the Chrysler to spin, police said. The Chrysler then stuck the woman on the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the intersection before crashing into the storefront of Dirty Bird’s Southern Kitchen and coming to a stop.

The woman was taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police. The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not released her full identity.

The driver of the Impala suffered a broken right arm and was transported to University of Chicago Hospital in fair condition. Chicago Fire Department officials said the baby was also hospitalized in fair condition but did not provide details on its injuries, according to an ABC Chicago report.

ABC reported that the driver of the Chrysler, who was uninjured, fled the scene but was later arrested. Police said citations are pending.

Residents told ABC the woman, who was known as Belinda, was waiting for a bus to work when she was struck. When the Impala hit the storefront, it broke a gas line, which made it unsafe for bystanders to assist her. The victim’s husband ran to the crash site, still dressed in pajamas.

Jovon Smith, who owns nearby JS Liquors, told ABC speeding is a problem in the neighborhood. “They don’t stop. This 81st Street is like a drag strip.”

Tragically, it’s not uncommon common for people to be killed by drivers while waiting for CTA buses. Here are a few  examples from recent years.

• In April 2018, a speeding SUV driver struck and killed Janice M. Gilmore, 67, while she was waiting for a CTA bus at a shelter and injured five other people in South Deering.
• In June 2019, a police chase in Jeffery Manor ended with the death of Michael Jordan, 27, who was sitting in a CTA bus shelter when the fleeing driver struck him.
• In August 2019, an SUV driver slammed into a bus shelter in Woodlawn, killing Beverly Barney, 59, and injuring a 60-year-old woman.
• Also in August 2019, Myrna Logan, 81, and several other people were standing at a bus stop at Fullerton and Cicero Avenues when a driver struck them, killing Logan and injuring several others.

Watch the ABC report here.

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

Pedestrian: 16
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.