A fatal crash involving a motorcyclist and a truck occurred Tuesday evening at Grand Avenue and Lamont Road in Elmhurst, prompting police to shut down a stretch of the busy corridor while they worked the scene. The closure prompted police to divert drivers around the investigation.
Elmhurst police and fire crews arrived around 5 p.m. to find the collision between the motorcyclist and the truck, according to NBC Chicago. Police have not specified who was killed in the crash, nor have they released details on any other potential injuries.
Westbound Grand Avenue between Church Road and Lake Street was closed off while investigators worked the scene, per the same report. Officials urged drivers to avoid that section of Grand Avenue entirely and instead recommended westbound Lake Street or westbound I-290 as alternate routes.
A Corridor With a History of Deadly Crashes
Tuesday's fatality adds to a troubling record for Grand Avenue, which has drawn scrutiny from regional planners. A Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning transportation study published in January 2025 identified high annual crash rates along the Grand Avenue corridor stretching from Mannheim Road to Elm Street, according to Hoodline's prior reporting.
That same stretch of roadway has seen other fatal crashes in recent months. A 22-year-old motorcyclist died in Franklin Park after a vehicle turned left onto Maple Street and struck him on Grand Avenue, Hoodline reported. Weeks earlier, on June 16, Franklin Park police responded to another fatal morning collision at an intersection, this one involving a vehicle and a 19-year-old rider on an e-bike.
Motorcyclists Face Outsized Risk Statewide
The Elmhurst crash also reflects a broader pattern in Illinois traffic safety data. Motorcycles accounted for 11.5% of all traffic fatalities statewide in 2023, claiming 119 lives even though motorcycles make up a small share of vehicles on the road, per Hoodline's earlier coverage citing state figures. Illinois Department of Transportation crash data has similarly shown that motorcycle-involved wrecks account for a disproportionate share of fatal crashes compared to overall crash totals.
No further details have been released about the circumstances that led to Tuesday's collision. Police have not said what caused the crash, and it remains unclear how long the closure on Grand Avenue lasted or whether the road has since reopened to traffic.
