According to an article published in the Chicago Tribune by Jake Sheridan this morning, a fatal hit-and-run bike crash that took place on Sunday, May 7, in Humboldt Park is still unsolved by the Chicago Police Department.
According to the initial police statement, at 1:48 a.m. the cyclist, who was later identified as Rick Lomas, 31, was cycling south on the 1000 block of North California Avenue when he was struck by the westbound driver, who fled the scene. "The bicyclist refused [Emergency Medical Service] and left the scene," the CPD statement said, adding that no drivers were in custody.
The CPD crash report states that responding officers observed bleeding from the left side of Lomas' head. The report stated that a witness provided the motorist's driver's license plate number to the police. The report says that the officers ran the plate number and were able to get the car owner's name and age and determined that the vehicle was a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix. "It was unknown whether above said person was operating the vehicle," the report says. Streetsblog is avoiding publishing the driver's name in order to to prevent interfering with the investigation.
Today's Chicago Tribune article stated police say the police "say they are still investigating and have no one in custody." The Tribune reported that Lomas suffered a brain hemorrhage and died three days after the crash, according to a GoFundMe page intended to raise money for his hospital bills and memorial costs.
"Although Rick made it home from the accident, he suffered a brain hemorrhage," wrote GoFundMe page creator Abigail Clough on the page. "Despite extensive medical efforts over the past few days, Rick did not wake up from his injuries. He died peacefully on May 10, 2023 with his wife Zena Lomas by his side."
“Rick was an amazing person who worked on various home projects throughout the Logan Square community," Clough added. "He was reliable and kind and funny. We will all miss him dearly."
While the CPD has stated that Lomas was running a red light when he was struck, his family's lawyer Michael Keating told the Tribune video evidence did not show show the color of the stoplight. (Keating is a Streetsblog advertiser.) “There’s nothing based on what we’ve seen so far that substantiates this claim that he ran a red light.”
Keating also told the the Trib the cyclist may have turned down medical care because he was disoriented by his injury. The attorney added that Lomas was a British citizen who was trying to become an American citizen.
“Rick brought peace in my soul and made me the happiest woman in the universe," Zena Lomas wrote on Facebook, according to the Tribune. "I don’t know why things happen the way they do, but I know forever in my heart how lucky I was to have him in my life.”
Violence against Chicago bicyclists has been on the rise lately, the Tribune noted. At 1 a.m. Monday morning, a 62-year old bike rider was attacked by person with a construction sign in the 2200 block of South State Street in the South Loop. According to the police, the attacker then assaulted the victim with his own cycle. The victim was taken by Chicago Fire Department paramedics to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. No one has been in custody.
Read the Tribune article here.
Streetsblog Chicago Fatality Tracker
Pedestrian: 14
Bicyclist: 1
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.
2023 Chicago pedestrian fatality cases
- On Sunday May 7, 2023, bike rider Rick Lomas was traveling south on California Avenue in Humboldt Park when he was was fatally struck by a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix driver who left the scene.
- On April 14, 2023, a Chrysler driver fatally struck a man, 59, on the 8800 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chatham.
- On April 8, 2023, a turning sedan driver struck and killed Tracy Burton, 55, crossing the street at Laramie Avenue and Jackson Boulevard in Austin.
- On March 29,2023, a sedan driver struck and killed a male pedestrian, 46, on the 2000 block of North Cicero in Belmont Cragin.
- On March 25, 2023, a driver ran a stop sign at Washington and Green streets in the West Loop, fatally striking James Robert Thompson and fled the scene.
- On March 19, 2023, a left-turning van driver fatally struck Guo Ning Li, 78, in a crosswalk at 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue in Chinatown.
- On February 20, 2023, a right-turning FedEx step van driver ran over and killed Marsha Frankel, 72, in a crosswalk at Roosevelt Road and Wabash Avenue in the South Loop.
- On February 14, 2023, a CTA bus driver fatally struck Kevin Herrera, 28, at at 47th Street and Ashland Avenue in Back of the Yards.
- On February 7, 2023, a driver fatally struck Erik S. Wills, 49, on the 8800 block of South May Street in Gresham.
- On February 6, 2023, a motorist struck and killed Stevenson Mays, 59, on the 5600 block of South Racine Avenue in West Englewood and fled the scene.
- On January 27, 2023, two drivers collided on the 5000 block of West Washington Street in Austin and fatally struck Jennifer Kelleher, 25, and then both fled the scene.
- On January 26, 2023, an SUV driver fatally struck an unidentified woman, 93, on the 300 block of South Laramie Avenue in Austin and fled the scene.
- On January 10, 2023, a sedan driver struck and killed an unidentified man, 33, on the 3500 block of West Lake Street in East Garfield Park and fled the scene.
- On January 3, 2023, a cargo van driver fatally struck Jaime Cuadra, 47, as he was exiting a vehicle on 87th Street in front of the Red Line station.
- On January 2, 2023, a 45-year-old man was crossing Lafayette Avenue at 79th Street in Chatham when a speeding driver ran a red, fatally struck him, and fled the scene on foot.
- On January 2, 2023, near 72nd Street and Damen Avenue in West Englewood, Roy Lee, 21, was getting into his car when a driver swerved into oncoming lanes, fatally struck Lee and hit three parked cars, then fled the scene on foot.
