Death of Juan Martin Marquez Luna, at the same intersection where Maria Ochoa was fatally struck last year, underscores the need for a safer Archer Avenue

Tragically, a crash between two drivers, one of whom fled the scene, on Monday morning at Archer and Laramie avenues in Garfield Ridge, caused the death of “e-moto” rider Juan Martin Marquez Luna, 54. Compounding the tragedy, last year at the same intersection, a very similar collision resulted in the death of Maria Ochoa, 84. These cases highlight the urgent need to make this intersection, and all of Archer in Chicago, safer.

According to the initial Chicago Police Department statement, on Monday, September 14, around 5:15 a.m., on the 5600 block of South Archer, the driver of a blue pickup truck was proceeding through the intersection when the driver of a black sedan made a turn. At this location, Archer is a four-lane “stroad,” which makes it easy to speed, and this intersection has no turn lanes.

Police said the pickup driver struck the sedan, and then crashed into Marquez Luna, who was riding an “electronic bike.” The pickup driver fled from the crash on foot.

While multiple news reports described his vehicle as an “e-bike,” images of the crash aftermath indicate that it was actually an “e-moto.” These vehicles are defined by Illinois law as high-speed electric cycles that do not have to be pedaled, with a motor of more than 750 watts.

According to CPD, Marquez Luna was taken to Christ Hospital in critical condition. On Monday afternoon, a source reported to Streetsblog that the victim was in a coma. He was pronounced dead on Tuesday.

Marquez Luna’s obituary states that he is survived by his wife, four children, and eight grandchildren. In Spanish it says, “His warmth, sense of humor, and unconditional love left an indelible mark on all of us.”

Sadly, great-grandmother Maria Ochoa, 84, was killed in a crash last year at Archer/Laramie that also involved a collision between a turning motorist and one who was traveling through the intersection. According to CPD, on Saturday, May 24, around 5:30 p.m., Ochoa was walking at the intersection when an SUV driver tried to make a turn and was hit by a sedan driver. The SUV then struck Ochoa, who later died.

Such crashes could be prevented by an AARP-endorsed “four-to-three conversion” street redesign with turn lanes, which would calm traffic and give motorists a safer place to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic before turning. That’s exactly what has been done on Archer Avenue between 47th Street and Western Avenue in nearby Brighton Park.

Frustratingly for nearly six months, organized protesters, apparently motivated by politics, demonstrated against that traffic safety project every week near the local alderperson’s office. But if such an initiative had been done at Archer and Laramie, Juan Martin Marquez Luna and Maria Ochoa might still be alive.

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