Chicago’s car-centric streets take the life of another child, Taha Khan, 5, in Sauganash – Streetsblog Chicago

This summer time has seen site visitors violence kill far too many youngsters on foot, scooter, and bicycle within the Chicago space. The victims have included Rafi Cardenas, 2; Lily Shambrook, 3; Ja’Lon James, 11; and Joshua Avina-Luna, 15; and Zain Jaber, 15. Sadly, on Wednesday night time there was one other title so as to add to that listing, Taha Khan, a five-year-old boy who died after he was struck by an SUV driver who fled the scene, after which hit by a second motorist on Wednesday night time on Cicero Avenue in Chicago’s Sauganash neighborhood. Contributing to the tragedy could have been the comparatively excessive velocity restrict and vast structure of Cicero, which inspires lethal speeds.

Based on the site visitors crash report, witness Ronnetta Newson, who had been sitting in her automobile throughout the road from the crash website, informed responding officers that at about 9:05 p.m., she noticed Taha get struck on the east facet of Cicero Avenue (4800 N.), simply north of Rosemont Avenue (6300 N.)

This stretch of Cicero is a four-lane “stroad,” a freeway via a dense city space, with a 35 mph velocity restrict, greater than Chicago’s default 30 mph restrict. There are companies on the west facet of this block, and residences on the east facet.

Aerial view of the 6300 block of North Cicero Avenue. Image: Google Maps — Aerial view of the 6300 block of North Cicero Avenue. Picture: Google Maps

Newson, who works as a Lyft driver, informed police she noticed the driving force of a northbound purple Jeep SUV strike Taha, who then rolled and fell into oncoming site visitors. Newson told the Sun-Times she heard brakes screech, after which a “growth,” because the boy was hit by the Jeep driver, after which a northbound Volvo XC70 station wagon driver. The Jeep driver slowed down, however then fled north. The Volvo driver, a 50-year-old man who works as a Chicago police officer obtained out of his automobile, took the boy’s pulse, and started performing CPR till a chicago Hearth Division ambulance arrived.

Taha was transported to St. Francis Hospital in crucial situation with extreme head trauma, police mentioned. He was pronounced lifeless six hours later, in keeping with the Cook dinner County health worker’s workplace.

The crash report states that officers canvassed the world for safety cameras and had been capable of find cameras at three totally different close by addresses on the west facet of Cicero.

The 6300 block of North Cicero. The wide, four-lane layout encourages speeding. Image: Google Maps — The 6300 block of North Cicero. The vast, four-lane structure encourages dashing. Picture: Google Maps

The Solar-Occasions reported Taha’s father Shahzad Khan informed police he was speaking to a neighbor within the yard of the household’s dwelling when the boy walked out the entrance door of the home and into the road. “We’re nonetheless making an attempt to determine it out,” the grieving father mentioned.

Some commenters on social media have argued that this dying was merely the results of a younger little one wandering into the street. However this incident didn’t want to finish in a fatality. Quite, driver habits and avenue design could have contributed to sealing Taha’s destiny.

Clearly, it was extremely heartless of the Jeep driver to strike a small boy after which drive away with out rendering help. And we don’t know what velocity the 2 concerned motorists had been going.

The four-lane structure of Cicero, together with the unusually excessive velocity restrict, could have made the distinction between just a little boy’s harmless mistake being punished by a dying sentence, slightly than a survivable harm, or only a shut name. Whereas there’s a velocity digicam two blocks south of the crash website, Chicago’s 6 mph ticketing threshold for automated enforcement implies that the drivers might have been going as quick as 40 mph, a velocity at which struck pedestrians nearly at all times die, with out being ticketed by the digicam.

Illinois state rep Will Guzzardi famous that Cicero is an Illinois Division of Transportation-controlled street, which helps clarify its four-lane structure, which prioritizes driver throughput over the wellbeing of pedestrians. The state has traditionally been detest to make security upgrades to streets that might add time to drivers’ commutes.

Taha’s household is asking for help monitoring down the hit-and-run driver. “We wish assist [from] each particular person round this space — if they’ve any cameras exterior their homes or companies, please verify,” the boy’s mom, Misbah Khan mentioned on Thursday, Block Club Chicago reported. Three blocks south of the crash website there’s a POD digicam and license plate scanner, which the household hopes will assist establish the offender. They referred to as on different motorists to drive at protected speeds, and be careful for youngsters and different pedestrians within the street.

Based on Block Membership, Taha’s dad and mom and household mates remembered him as a shy little one who had just lately change into extra extra snug talking and was studying to put in writing. He was wanting ahead to beginning kindergarten subsequent month, in addition to a Pikachu-themed celebration on September 26.

Native alderperson Samantha Nugent (thirty ninth) referred to as Taha’s dying a “devastating loss” and mentioned her workplace is making an attempt to assist the Kahn household of their time of want. Notably, last month Nugent voted to primarily legalize dashing by 9 mph close to colleges and parks throughout a Metropolis Council vote on whether or not to boost the velocity digicam ticketing threshold to 10 mph. Constituents have additionally informed Streetsblog the alder has a moratorium on putting in velocity humps within the ward.

Illustration of the before and after of a four to three conversion road diet. Image: FHWA — Illustration of the earlier than and after of a 4 to a few conversion street weight loss plan. Picture: FHWA

Along with bringing the hit-and-run driver to justice, the moral response to Taha’s dying is taking motion to assist make sure that fewer households should expertise this type of heartache. Implementing a “four-to-three conversion” street weight loss plan on Cicero – changing the harmful four-lane structure with one journey lane in every course, a flip lane, and wider sidewalks and/or protected bike lanes – can be place to begin. Reducing Chicago’s default velocity restrict to 25, as many peer cities like New York have carried out, can be a fantastic subsequent step.

Sign the Safe Streets for All petition demanding motion out of your alderperson, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and the Chicago Division of Transportation to handle Chicago’s site visitors fatality epidemic.

Fatality Tracker: 2022 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on floor streets (together with one scooter-on-sidewalk case)

Pedestrian: 21
Bicyclist: 6

Notice: Streetsblog Chicago’s site visitors dying numbers signify deadly crashes on Chicago floor streets, primarily based on media studies and/or preliminary Chicago Police Division information.

2022 Chicago pedestrian fatality circumstances (together with one scooter-on-sidewalk case)

On August 10, 2022, Taha Khan, 5, died after he was struck by a hit-and-run Jeep SUV driver at Devon and Cicero avenues within the Sauganash neighborhood, after which hit by a Volvo driver.
On August 5, 2022, a 14-year-old girl standing at a bus stop was killed after a Mercedes driver ran a purple at 79th Road and Racine Avenue in Auburn Gresham, hanging a Jeep, which careened onto the sidewalk. Three different individuals had been injured within the crash.
On August 2, 2022, a person died after he was crossing the road within the 4000 block of West fifth Avenue in West Garfield Park when a hit-and-run driver struck him, and one other motorist ran over him.
On July 30, 2022, a driver struck and killed Octavio Bahena Urquiza, 38, on the 4500 block of West Diversey Avenue and fled the scene.
On July 4, 2022, a Jeep driver reportedly struck and killed a man on the 3200 block of South Pulaski Street in Little Village and fled the scene.
On June 16, 2022, a hit-and-run driver struck and killed a Ja’lon James, 11, as he crossed the road within the 3300 block of West sixteenth Road in North Lawndale.
On June 12, 2022, a distracted Nissan Altima sedan driver fatally struck Peter Paquette, 75, at Irving Park Street and Hoyne Avenue in North Middle.
On June 2, 2022, an SUV driver struck and killed 2-year-old Raphael “Rafi” Cardenas at Eastwood Avenue and Leavitt Road in Lincoln Sq. because the toddler rode a mini-scooter into the intersection.
On Might 27, 2022, a Honda sedan driver fatally struck Wilberto Rivera, 76, as he crossed North Avenue at Albany Avenue. He died from his accidents two weeks afterward June 11.
On Might 27, 2022, a hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck Martha Velazquez, 34, on the 2900 block of West Columbus Avenue in Ashburn.
On Might 19, 2022, a motorcyclist fatally struck Timothy Kast, 46, as he crossed the 5300 block of West Irving Park Street in Portage Park.
On Might 11, 2022, a BMW sedan driver struck and killed 82-year-old Concepcion Lopez, as she waited at a CTA bus cease on the 2100 block of West Peterson in West Ridge.
On Might 10, 2022, a left-turning van driver did not yield to failed to yield to Berta Arroyo Salgado, 73, as she crossed the road in a crosswalk at Chicago Avenue and Paulina Road in West City, killing the senior.
On Might 6, 2022, a Cadillac sedan driver ran a purple gentle at Roosevelt Street and Damen Avenue on the Close to West Aspect, struck one other automobile, and careened onto the sidewalk, killing a 33-year-old man.
On April 17, 2022, a left-turning sedan driver fatally struck Yehuala Melkama, 44, as she walked in a crosswalk at Hazel and Sunnyside avenues in Uptown.
On March 27, 2022, an SUV driver struck and killed Larry J. Davis, 68, at 3350 S. Kedzie Ave. in Little Village.
On March 17, 2022, a left-turning driver struck and killed Miriam M. Grande, 70, at Grand and Austin avenues within the Belmont Central neighborhood and fled the scene.
On March 15, 2022, a automobile driver fatally struck Allen Lee Jr., 88, as he tried to cross Western Avenue at 109th Road in Morgan Park.
On February 8, 2022, a Chicago police officer struck Javion Marquel Johnson, 20, with an SUV after Johnson had been shot a number of occasions, doubtlessly contributing to his dying, at 12111 S. Stewart Avenue in Rosehill.
On January 20, 2022, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Richard Haljean, 57, as he crossed Touhy Avenue at Oriole Avenue in Edison Park.
On January 15, 2022 Angel Thomas, 35, was strolling to her automobile on the 4300 block of West Jackson Boulevard in West Garfield Park when an SUV driver fatally struck her and fled.
On January 12, 2022, an SUV driver struck and killed Deborah Renee Jones, 67, within the 6800 block of South Stony Island in South Shore.

2022 Chicago bike fatality circumstances

On August 11, 2022, a van driver struck and killed Pablo Rodriguez, 55, close to 99th Road and Avenue L within the East Aspect neighborhood and fled the scene.
On June 24, 2022, a cargo van driver fatally struck Joshua Avina-Luna, 15, close to 62nd Road and Austin Avenue within the Clearing neighborhood
On June 9, 2022, a semi truck driver ran over and killed Elizabeth “Lily” Grace Shambrook, 3, using in a baby seat on the again of her mom’s bike at Leland and Winthrop avenues in Uptown. The mom was unhurt.
On Might 4, 2022, a Nissan Versa sedan driver fatally struck Nick Parlingayan, 22, on his bike at Milwaukee and Kilbourn avenues in Irving Park.
On April 16, 2022, an allegedly intoxicated hit-and-run Volkswagen Jetta driver fatally struck Paresh Chhatrala, 42, close to Madison and Peoria streets within the West Loop.
On February 28, 2022, a BMW sedan driver ran a purple gentle at Balbo Drive and DuSable Lake Shore Drive within the Loop, fatally striking Gerardo Marciales, 41, on a Divvy bike.