A gray SUV ran a red light at North Wells Street and West Washington Street in the Loop early Saturday morning, slamming into a black SUV and sending one of the vehicles crashing into the wall of a nearby building. Two people riding in the black SUV were hurt, and the driver blamed for causing the wreck took off running before police could catch up.
The crash happened around 8:08 a.m. at the downtown intersection, according to ABC7 Chicago. Police told the outlet the gray SUV ran the red light and struck the black SUV, with one of the two vehicles ultimately hitting the building wall. A man and a woman riding in the black SUV were taken to Northwestern Hospital, where they were listed in good condition.
Driver Ditched the Car and Ran
According to the Chicago Police Department, the driver responsible for causing the crash jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot rather than staying at the scene. That detail leaves the most pressing question in the case unanswered for now: who was behind the wheel, and where they ended up after running off. Chicago police said they are investigating the crash, and as of the report, no further information was available.
Illinois law requires a driver involved in a crash resulting in personal injury to stop and remain at the scene until required information is exchanged; failing to do so is a Class 4 felony. The statute defines personal injury for this purpose as an injury requiring immediate professional treatment at a medical facility or doctor’s office. Whether the law applies to the fleeing driver in this case will depend on the investigation and any charges filed. Illinois’ vehicle code sets out the requirement.
Not the First Wreck at This Downtown Corner
The same stretch of Wells and Washington has seen trouble before. In a separate incident, a car ended up inside the Corner Bakery at that intersection, though police reported no injuries in that crash, per ABC7. Other recent Loop crashes have followed a similar pattern of drivers blowing through signals: Fox 32 Chicago reported that a Cadillac driver fled on foot after a crash near State Street and Ida B. Wells Drive left a passenger hospitalized in fair condition, and WGN-TV reported that a black SUV struck a marked CPD squad car elsewhere in the Loop, injuring four people including two officers, after police said the SUV driver failed to obey a traffic signal.
None of those incidents are confirmed to be connected to Saturday's crash at Wells and Washington, and the evidence does not point to a broader pattern across downtown. Still, the cluster of red-light collisions in the Loop underscores how dangerous that stretch of downtown streets can be for drivers and pedestrians alike. For now, Chicago police have not released additional details on the search for the driver who ran from the scene.
The crash adds a local example to a broader citywide safety concern, but it does not establish a pattern at this intersection. Chicago’s transportation department says reckless behavior by drivers is involved in 85% of traffic deaths citywide, and lists red-light camera enforcement among its road-safety efforts. The department also maintains a Vision Zero action plan and a separate plan for the downtown high-crash area. Those initiatives address citywide risks; the city’s figures do not show how often crashes occur at Wells and Washington specifically. Chicago’s traffic-safety program outlines those findings and efforts.
