Detectives continue to investigate how the victim of a Chicago car accident was found dead in an alley a mile away, the Sun-Times reported. Authorities believe the accident may have involved street racing but are unsure of how the victim’s body ended up in the alley.
It is the second time in about a week that police have been called to investigate a fatal accident involving street racing. On July 18, our Chicago accident lawyers reported that a motorist was killed and two others were injured in a crash on westbound I-290. Investigators in that case believe two vehicles were drag racing when one of the vehicles left the road.
In this case, a man reportedly struck and dragged in a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway on Saturday was found dead in a South Side alley a mile away. The 18-year-old man died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash on the Dan Ryan at 69th Street, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Illinois State Police responded to the crash in the northbound lanes of I-94 shortly before 3:30 a.m. and found a white Chevy van rolled over and abandoned. A witness reported the van and a gray Dodge may have been drag racing when they collided and that the Dodge then struck and dragged a person standing outside the van.
About 9:30 a.m. they were notified that a body matching the description of the person struck had been found in a back alley near 63rd Street and Wabash Avenue.
The NHRA reports that street racing kills about 1 in 20 participants. Drag racing is illegal in Illinois and carries very serious penalties beyond just speeding. Charges of reckless operation are possible and drag racing offenses are categorized along with DUI and fleeing police as serious traffic crimes. Additionally, very serious criminal charges may be filed in cases where a drag racing accident leads to serious or fatal injuries.