Here at Streetsblog Chicago, we try to keep the public informed about every deadly pedestrian and bicycle crash on our city's surface streets, through our Fatality Tracker posts. The goal is to keep track of where these tragedies are happening, under what conditions, in order to advocate for infrastructure and policy changes that will help reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions.
My method has been to conduct Google News searches for local media reports on these cases, every morning when I'm compiling our Today's Headlines posts. A couple of times this year I've asked SBC cofounder Steven Vance to double check that I haven't missed any other incidents from his Chicago Crash Browser, based on preliminary Chicago Police Department data. You can access it through his personal blog Steven Can Plan.
Unfortunately, when I recently requested that Steven compare our notes, he found that there were quite few fatality cases on Chicago streets that were in his Crash Browser database but not on SBC's Fatality Tracker list. It appears that few of these collisions were reported by other media outlets. See descriptions of these incidents below.
Moving forward, to help make the Fatality Tracker more accurate, I plan to regularly consult CPD's list of Media Major Incident Notifications ("intended for use by credentialed media personnel only"), which includes traffic crashes.
The Chicago Department of Transportation also publishes Monthly Fatal Crash Summaries, which are available to the general public, so I'll try to regularly compare our records to theirs. Per CDOT, their December 2024 summary will be posted later this month, because it takes time for the transportation department to review CPD's preliminary data.
And, of course, I'll also try to keep track of cases listed on Steven's Crash Browser.
Thank you for bearing with us as Streetsblog Chicago works to provide the most accurate Fatality Tracker info possible.
On March 13, 2024, at around 11:40 a.m., a sedan driver fatally struck a woman, 26, on the 1700 block of West Van Buren Street in the Near West Side community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "A 65-year-old male and a 26-year-old female standing near the sidewalk were struck by an 89-year-old female driving a Toyota sedan when the driver lost control and drove onto the sidewalk. Both victims were transported to Stroger Hospital. The 26-year-old female was pronounced. The 65-year-old male [is] in an unknown condition. There is no one in custody at this time. [Major Accident Investigation Unit] is investigating."
On March 31, 2024, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a male in the 5600 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Gage Park community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "A male, unknown age, was discovered unresponsive with road rash to his facial area and multiple injuries to his body. The male was transported to Holy Cross Hospital where he was pronounced."
On May 17, 2024, at about 12:36 PM, a driver fatally struck a man, 74, in the 2900 block of West Howard Avenue in the West Ridge community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "A 74-year-old male in the crosswalk was struck by a 47-year-old male driver traveling in a Nissan Truck. The 74-year-old male was transported to St. Francis Hospital for an injury to the head area in an unknown condition. No on is in custody at this time. MAUI is investigating."
On July 23, 2024, at around 5:30 a.m., a man, 49, was found under a car and pronounced dead on the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue in the Near North Side community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "A 49-year-old male was found unresponsive underneath a Chrysler 300 at the above location. He was pronounced on scene. No one was located inside or near the vehicle and no one in custody at this time. Circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation."
From the CDOT report on this case: "[Hit-and-run] driver struck pedestrian in roadway."
• On August 20, 2024, at around 7:15 p.m., a driver fatally struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 7401 N. Clark St. in the Rogers Park community area.
The CDOT report states that the motorist was speeding and driving a large vehicle.
• On September 21, 2024, at around 3:18 a.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a male on a "motorized bike" on the 4000 block of South Cicero Avenue in the Garfield Ridge community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "An unidentified male was traveling on a motorized bike on Cicero Avenue when he was struck by an unknown [driver, who] fled the scene. The victim was taken to Mt. Sinai, where he is listed in critical condition. No one is in custody, and Major Accidents is investigating."
• On October 10, 2024 around 10:29 AM, a hit-and-run driver disobeyed a traffic signal, collided with another vehicle, and fatally struck a pedestrian at 1601 E. 75th Street in the South Shore community area.
The CDOT report states that the motorist "disregarded traffic signal, collided with [another vehicle], and struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk."
• On November 5, 2024, at around 5:46 a.m., a driver fatally struck a bike rider at 200 W. Wacker Drive in the Loop community area.
The CDOT report states that the bike rider "disregard traffic signal and was struck by an oncoming vehicle [driver]." Of course, the cyclist was not able to tell their side of the story.
• On November 25, 2024 at around 11:25 p.m. a driver fatally struck a woman 18, on the 3800 block of West Columbus Avenue in the Ashburn community area.
From the initial CPD statement on this case: "The victim has been pronounced. A 48-year-old male driver who was the only occupant of a white SUV was traveling Westbound when he struck an unidentified adult female victim who ran into the street. The victim sustained trauma to the body and was transported to Christ Hospital where she is listed in critical condition. [Obviously, the victim was unable to tell her side of the story.] The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and a citation is pending."
An ABC Chicago report stated that the victim "has been identified as Tru S. Butler, and she lived nearby" the crash site.
Fatality Tracker: 2024 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets
Pedestrian: 28
Bicyclist: 5
Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago surface streets, based on media reports and/or preliminary Chicago Police Department data.
2024 Chicago pedestrian fatality cases
• On November 27, 2024, an SUV driver fatally struck a man, 44, in the 1300 block of South Central Park Avenue in North Lawndale and fled the scene.
• On November 25, 2024 at around 11:25 p.m. a driver fatally struck a woman 18, on the 3800 block of West Columbus Avenue in the Ashburn community area.
• On November 20, 2024, a hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck Tanja Annzionetta Safforld, 54, at Marquette Road and Western Avenue in Marquette Park.
• On October 20, 2024, a distracted car driver fatally struck a woman, 65, crossing Avenue O in Hegewisch.
• On October 10, 2024 around 10:29 AM, a hit-and-run driver disobeyed a traffic signal, collided with another vehicle, and fatally struck a pedestrian at 1601 E. 75th Street in the South Shore community area.
• On October 5, 2024, a hit-and run Sedan driver fatally struck a man walking in the 500 block of South Homan Avenue in East Garfield Park.
• On August 20, 2024, at around 7:15 p.m., a driver fatally struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 7401 N. Clark St. in the Rogers Park community area.
• On August 17, 2024, a hit-and-run pickup driver fatally struck James Reed Tillman, as he was crossing the street in the 1900 block of West Howard Street in Rogers Park.
• On August 17, 2024, an SUV driver fatally struck 33-year-old Taras Mykhailenko on the 3300 block of North Harlem Avenue in the Dunning community.
• On August 6, 2024, a semi driver struck and killed a woman near Roosevelt Road and Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side.
• On July 29, 2024, an SUV driver, who apparently was entering a parking, lot fatally struck Jimmy L. Jones, 70 near 89th Street and Loomis Avenue in Gresham.
• On July 23, 2024, at around 5:30 a.m., a man, 49, was found under a car and pronounced dead on the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue in the Near North Side community area.
• On July 22, 2024, a car driver ran over and killed a male victim near 115th Street and Vincennes Avenue in Morgan Park.
• On July 17, 2024, a semi driver fatally struck an unidentified male walking at the southwest corner of Lower Wacker Drive and Lower Michigan Avenue in the Loop and left the scene.
• On July 13, 2024, a car driver struck Steven Moore, 63, at 107th Street and Emerald Avenue in Rosedale, turned around, and fatally ran him over again.
• On June 18, a SUV driver fatally struck Patricia Mae Brzozowski, 75, at 4617 S. Hermitage Ave. in New City.
• On June 2, 2024, a pickup truck driver fatally struck Xyaire Askew, 4, at 82nd Street and Harper Avenue in Avalon Park.
• On May 17, 2024, at about 12:36 PM, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a man, 74, in the 2900 block of West Howard Avenue in the West Ridge community area.
• On May 15, 2024, a hit-and-run trucker struck and killed Karl Hall, 44, at he walked across Halsted Street at Maxwell Street in University Village.
• On March 31, 2024, a hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck CPS teacher Charles "Charlie" Mills, 56, in the 6400 block of South Pulaski Road in West Lawn.
• On March 31, 2024, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a male in the 5600 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Gage Park community area.
• On March 13, 2024, at around 11:40 a.m. a sedan driver fatally struck a woman, 26, on the 1700 block of West Van Buren Street in the Near West Side community area.
• On March 3, 2024, an SUV driver fatally struck a man police said was "sitting in the street" on the 3100 block of West Marquette Road in Chicago Lawn.
• On February 25, 2024, a pickup driver failed to yield while making a left turn, fatally striking married couple Zofia Chruszcz, 72, and Ryszard Stebnicki, 75, in an unmarked crosswalk at Archer and McVicker avenues in Garfield Ridge.
• On February 22, 2024, a driver fatally struck a male pedestrian, 52, who was crossing South King Drive at 47th Street in the Grand Boulevard community.
• On February 8, 2024, a hit-and-run pickup driver ran a red and fatally struck Jiekun Xu, 68, as she crossed Pulaski Road at 44th Street in Archer Heights.
• On January 21, 2024, a hit-and-run SUV driver struck and killed David Marshall Hoyle III, 35, as he crossed 95th Street at Union Avenue in Washington Heights.
• On January 7, 2024, a hit-and-run SUV driver struck and killed Jason Kardish, 40, as he crossed Ashland Avenue at Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park.
2024 Chicago bike fatality cases
• On November 5, 2024, at around 5:46 a.m., a driver fatally struck a bike rider at 200 W. Wacker Drive in the Loop community area.
• On October 27, 2024, a hit-and-run Jeep driver fatally struck a man, 64, in the 1900 block of South Union Avenue in Pilsen.
• On September 21, 2024, at around 3:18 a.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a male on a "motorized bike" on the 4000 block of South Cicero Avenue in the Garfield Ridge community are.
• On September 2, 2024, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Robert "Bob" Levin, 61, at 2444 N. Ashland Avenue in Lincoln Park.
• On August 24, 2024, a hit-and-run car driver fatally struck John Ward, 55, at Washington Boulevard and Central Park Avenue in the East Garfield Park community.
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