A 24-year-old Chatham resident was charged with failing to report an accident that resulted in another’s death, a felony, by Chicago police on Thursday, Aug. 17. The man is alleged to have struck and killed a 39-year-old pedestrian in that same southside neighborhood at around 8:27 p.m., on Saturday, Aug. 12.
According to witness statements taken at the scene of the fatal accident, the decedent was walking nearby 8200 South Cottage Grove when it appears she decided to cross from the east to the west side of the street. It’s as she was crossing that intersection, just one block up from where she lived, that a Cadillac CTS approached and struck her.
That white Cadillac’s driver reportedly made no attempt to stop after striking the woman. Instead, the motorist quickly fled the scene in the southbound direction along Cottage Grove.
Emergency responders who arrived on the scene quickly stabilized the woman before transporting her to Oak Lawn’s Christ Medical Center in an attempt to save her life. By 9:30 p.m. that same evening, she had died. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not publicly disclosed what they’ve determined to be the woman’s cause of death.
By the following day, Chicago police had tracked down surveillance footage in the area at the time of the crash. Using that footage, they were able to positively identify the car that was responsible for striking the woman. It’s then that they publicly released images of both the vehicle and its owner, the Chatham man ultimately arrested on hit-and-run charges in this case.
If you’ve lost a loved one to a car crash, then you may be entitled to recover compensation for medical expenses, funeral costs and future earnings on behalf of his or her estate. In learning more about your case, a Chicago motor vehicle accident attorney can advise you of your rights to file a wrongful death claim.
Source: Chicago Sun Times, “Man charged with fatal Chatham hit-and-run crash,” Aug. 17, 2017