Girl, 17, driving SUV was cited for failure to exercise due care for a pedestrian after fatally striking Fentella Wyayy, 43, at Ashland/Ogden on Near West Side
Tragically, a 17-year-old girl driving an SUV struck and killed Fentella Wyayy, 43, Sunday evening on the Near West Side. The motorist was cited for failure to exercise due care for a pedestrian in the roadway.
According to the initial police statement, on Sunday, April 12, around 9:00 p.m., the teen was driving northeast on Ogden Avenue towards Ashland Avenue. At this location, Ogden is a five-lane street, which encourages speeding, and Ashland has seven lanes, which also makes it easier to speed.
Police said that a 43-year-old woman was crossing Ogden “against the signal.” The initial statement added that “a witness who also remained on scene confirmed that the female driver of the silver SUV had the right-of-way due to the green traffic signal.”
After the girl struck the pedestrian, the woman suffered head trauma, according to police. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Today the Cook County medical examiner’s officer identified her as Fentella Wyayy, a resident of Humboldt Park.
While the initial CPD statement said “there are no citations pending,” today a Police News Affairs spokesman said the teen was cited for failure to exercise due care.
The traffic crash report wasn’t available today. That document may eventually shed light on whether any design elements of the SUV, such as a high front end, may have been a factor in Wyayy’s death.
Fatality Tracker: 2026 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets
Pedestrian: 5
Bicycle or e-scooter: 3
2026 Chicago pedestrian fatalities
• On Wednesday, January 7, around 8:44 a.m., a 42-year-old woman driving an SUV fatally struck a man, 64, crossing at 9498 S. Lafayette Ave. in Roseland.
• On Monday, February 16, around 4:12 p.m., a 37-year-old female truck driver struck and killed a woman, 63, in the 7200 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Norwood Park.
• On Tuesday, March 3, around 6:15 PM, an SUV driver, 70, fatally struck a female pedestrian in the 4000 block of West Foster Avenue in the North Park neighborhood.
• On Wednesday, March 11, sometime before 10 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a woman, 32, in the 2100 block of East 83rd Street in South Chicago.
• On Sunday, April 12, around 9 p.m., a 17-year-old girl driving an SUV fatally struck a Fentella Wyayy, 43, crossing Ogden Avenue at Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side.
2026 Chicago bicycle and e-scooter fatalities
• On Thursday, January 24, around 8:20 p.m., the 33-year-old male driver of a Toyota fatally struck Roman Havelka, 63, on a bicycle in the 8600 block of West Irving Park Road.
• On Saturday, March 21, around 8:30 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Violet Harris, 15, on an e-scooter in the 2800 block of East 77th Street in South Shore.
• On Sunday, April 5, around 1:20 a.m., a speeding, hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck Damian Gomez, 18, on a bicycle at 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago Lawn.
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