A 52-year-old man died early Tuesday after another car collided with his SUV in Lake View, turning a routine left turn into a fatal crash. The wreck happened around 3 a.m. in the 1400 block of West Irving Park Road, as the SUV pulled out of a parking lot to turn left. Emergency crews rushed the driver to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
What Police Say Happened
According to police, the SUV moved into the travel lanes to make the left turn when a black car heading east on Irving Park slammed into it. The 52-year-old SUV driver suffered traumatic injuries and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The Cook County medical examiner's office said he was pronounced dead at 5:41 a.m.
The other driver, a 47-year-old man, was not hurt and refused medical treatment. Police reported no additional injuries and said no citations are pending at this time, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Why Irving Park Keeps Coming Up
Irving Park Road is a busy, state-controlled arterial that cuts across several North Side neighborhoods and has long been on residents' and aldermen's lists of streets needing safety upgrades. State and city officials have gone back and forth over how to redesign segments of the corridor, and analysts note that state-managed arterials can see higher crash totals than local streets, according to Stateline.
Safety advocates argue that changes such as clearer turn lanes, pedestrian refuge islands and curb extensions can cut down on serious collisions, but those kinds of fixes typically require coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Detectives Seek Witnesses
Area 3 detectives are investigating the crash and are asking anyone who saw what happened to come forward. No citations have been issued so far, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Chicago Police Department lists Area 3's tip line on its community alerts. Anyone with video or information can call (312) 744-8263 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com, according to the Chicago Police Department.
