A man accused in a hit-and-run Chicago pedestrian accident that claimed the life of a 20-year-old pregnant woman will remain in jail without bail, the Sun-Times reported.
It is one of at least three fatal pedestrian accidents that occurred over the weekend. Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog reported two others, one involving an 18-year-old girl killed after being run over at a graduation party and another involving a 24-year-old man who was hit and killed Friday night. Pedestrian accidents remain a leading cause of fatal Chicago crashes. In 2008, a total of 135 people were killed in Illinois pedestrian accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In this case, the woman’s death may have been intentional after a clash between two groups of people near the Chicago River on the Northwest Side. The feud had spilled into the street when a motorist ran down the victim, who was six-months pregnant, as she crossed at a nearby intersection. The incident occurred in the 2700 block of west Roscoe, according to police.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled her death a homicide. The defendant in the case was ordered held without bail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 2.
Police report that the victim threw a bottle in an attempt to break up a fight between two men. The defendant then climbed into his car and gunned the engine toward the victim and her friends. Her friends fled down both sides of the car while the victim attempted to retreat down the street. She was struck by the front end of the Buick Park Avenue and ended up lodged beneath the car. The defendant allegedly drove into her again as she attempted to get back up.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the 18-year-old defendant has been charged with murder.