Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Bike Crashes

Amputee and Cyclist Offers Encouragement to Recent Truck Crash Survivor

By John Greenfield | Oct 7, 2016 | 1 Comment

On September 23, Danielle “Dee” Palagi, 26, was biking home from her job as a special education teacher when she was struck by a northbound semi driver who turned east at the intersection of Roosevelt and Wood near the Illinois Medical Campus. Danielle survived, but her foot had to be amputated, and she also suffered […]

There Have Been Three Serious Bike Crashes and Four Deaths in Last 12 Days

By John Greenfield | Sep 30, 2016 | 19 Comments

It’s almost starting to feel like Bicycling magazine naming Chicago as the nation’s best bike city last week has turned into a curse. In the two weeks since that announcement on Monday, September 19, the region has seen the following bike fatalities and crashes with injuries requiring hospitalization: On Monday, September 19, around 2 p.m. […]

Reported “Dooring” Bike Crashes Dropped Significantly from 2011 to 2014

By Steven Vance | Sep 29, 2016 | 10 Comments

Four years of data on reported dooring crashes in Chicago show a decrease from 2011, when the data started being collected by the state, to 2014, the most recent year for which crash data has been released. A dooring crash occurs when someone in a car opens their door into moving traffic without looking, resulting […]

Today’s Crash, Nick Fox’s Passing Bring 2016 Chicago Bike Death Toll to Six

By John Greenfield | Sep 26, 2016 | 28 Comments

Tragically, last week’s epidemic of bike fatalities and serious injury crashes in the Chicago region, has continued into this week. This morning a young woman was fatally struck by a flatbed truck driver in Roscoe Village. She was the sixth person to be struck and killed by a commercial vehicle driver while biking in Chicago […]

Why Hasn’t the Driver Who Killed Francisco Cruz Been Apprehended Yet?

By John Greenfield | Sep 15, 2016 | 8 Comments

[Last year the Chicago Reader launched a weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership allows Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We syndicate a portion of the column after it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website or in print. The paper hits the […]

Male Cyclist, 20, in Critical Condition After Being Doored, Struck, Dragged

By John Greenfield | Sep 6, 2016 | 22 Comments

A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after a motorist opened a car door in his path while he was biking in Portage Park, throwing the man into traffic, where the bike rider was then struck and dragged by an SUV driver. At about 1:40 p.m. this afternoon, the man, whose name has not been […]

Reckless Drivers Kill Four Cyclists, Trib Warns Bike Riders to Be More Careful

By John Greenfield | Sep 2, 2016 | 22 Comments

Yesterday, in response to four recent Chicago bike fatalities apparently caused by reckless drivers, the Tribune ran a well-meaning but wrongheaded editorial that largely puts the onus for creating safer streets on people who bike. It’s clear the editorial writer or writers were moved by the deaths of Blaine Klingenberg, Virginia Murray, Lisa Kuivinen, and […]

Cyclist Francisco Cruz Remembered as a Good Samaritan, Driver Still at Large

By John Greenfield | Aug 19, 2016 | 7 Comments

Family and friends are remembering Francisco “Frank” Cruz, fatally struck on his bike by a hit-and-run van driver in West Garfield Park Wednesday night, as someone who went out of his way to help others. Meanwhile, police have yet to apprehend the motorist, despite the fact that the van bore the name and phone number […]

Alderman Burnett Weighs In on Kuivinen Case, Cyclists Honor Fallen Rider

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Aug 17, 2016 | 19 Comments

The case of Lisa Kuivinen, a 20-year-old art student who was fatally struck by an 18-wheel flatbed truck driver while cycling on Milwaukee Avenue yesterday morning, has moved many Chicagoans, from everyday bike riders to city officials. Around 8:15 a.m. Kuivinen, a Rolling Meadows native who studied animation at the School of the Art Institute […]

Lisa Kuivinen, 20, Struck and Killed While Biking on Milwaukee Avenue

By John Greenfield | Aug 16, 2016 | 27 Comments

We have been notified that Lisa Kuivinen identified as non-binary and preferred gender-neutral pronouns. The post has been edited accordingly. Lisa Kuivinen, a 20-year-old art student, was fatally struck by the driver of an 18-wheel flatbed truck this morning while cycling on Milwaukee Avenue in West Town. At about 8:15 a.m. Lisa was riding on […]

Dragging Survivor Scott Jacobson Is Making an Amazing Recovery

By John Greenfield | Jul 7, 2016 | 10 Comments

There’s been a lot of bad news lately about bike crashes and fatalities in Chicago. Fortunately we’ve also got the inspiring story of Scott Jacobson, a man who was struck and dragged hundreds of feet on his bike, suffering horrific injuries. Jacobson has been making a remarkable recovery and has kept a positive attitude in […]

Virginia Murray, 25, Fatally Struck While Riding a Divvy Bike in Avondale

By John Greenfield | Jul 1, 2016 | 41 Comments

Virginia Murray, 25, was fatally struck by a truck driver this morning while riding a Divvy bike at Belmont Avenue and Sacramento Avenue in Avondale, according to police. The case appears to be the first fatal crash involving a bike-share user in the U.S. At about 9:00 a.m. Murray and the driver of a 2001 Chevrolet flatbed […]

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