An early morning collision in Chicago's South Loop has resulted in one fatality and left two other individuals critically injured. According to the Chicago Tribune, the incident occurred when a tow truck driver, who later fled the scene, struck an SUV. The impacted SUV then collided with another vehicle, which lost control and crashed into a wall at around 2:15 a.m. Saturday at the 100 block of W. Roosevelt Road.
All three occupants of the vehicle that hit the wall, a 21-year-old woman, a 20-year-old woman, and a 19-year-old man, were ejected, sustaining serious head injuries. After being transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, the 21-year-old woman was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Fleeing after backing into an SUV, the tow truck driver has yet to be identified by police. The SUV's driver, however, remained at the scene and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, per the CBS News Chicago report.
The names of the victims have not been released, and the Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit is currently leading the probe into the crash dynamics. The circumstances under which the tow truck collided with the SUV, leading to the subsequent chain-reaction crash, are still being determined.
As police continue their search for the tow truck driver, the two remaining victims are reportedly still combating life-threatening injuries at the hospital. The community has been left reeling by the aftermath of the crash, stricken with concern for the unidentified two critically injured and the young woman, claimed by the tragedy. The Chicago Police are urging anyone with information to come forward to assist in what has now become not only an accident investigation, but also a quest for justice.
