{"id":896468,"date":"2026-06-27T12:49:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/896468\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T12:49:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:49:54","slug":"a-crash-injured-a-bike-rider-in-north-center-witnesses-including-a-47th-ward-staffer-indicate-suv-driver-should-have-been-cited-for-an-illegal-turn-but-wasnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/896468\/","title":{"rendered":"A crash injured a bike rider in North Center. Witnesses \u2013 including a 47th Ward staffer \u2013\u00a0indicate SUV driver should have been cited for an illegal turn, but wasn’t."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This post is sponsored by the\u00a0Active Transportation Alliance.<\/a><\/p>\n

Judging from two different witness accounts \u2013 one of them from a 47th Ward staff member \u2013 it appears that officers should have ticketed an SUV driver for making a prohibited turn last Tuesday during the PM rush in North Center. The motorist collided with a person on bike, and the cyclist suffered facial injuries.<\/p>\n

But the Chicago Police Department\u2019s preliminary statement said the crash took place after rush hour. That would have meant it was legal for the motorist to hang a left. Perhaps due to this discrepancy, as of Thursday evening, the driver hadn\u2019t been cited.<\/p>\n

I first heard about this case on Wednesday, when I received an email from Richard Pallardy, a writer, researcher, and editor. In December 2017, a hit-and-run driver struck and seriously injured him while he was walking in Logan Square. I wrote an article\u00a0for the Chicago Reader<\/a>\u00a0about his efforts to track down the driver. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Richard Pallardy in 2017 at the intersection of Wrightwood and Kimball avenues in Logan Square, where he was struck by a hit-and-run driver last month. Photo: Jia Yue Yu for Chicago Reader<\/a><\/p>\n

In his Wednesday email, Pallardy told me an SUV driver collided with a young woman on a bicycle on Tuesday evening around 5:20 p.m. at the six-way intersection of Irving Park Road, Damen Avenue, and Lincoln Avenue in North Center. \u201cShe was alert and sitting up when the ambulance came, so hopefully she is OK,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut she was banged up and bleeding from the head. The driver did stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis intersection, like most of the three-ways, is so incredibly dangerous,\u201d Pallardy added. \u201cI live nearby and cross it on foot daily. Even on a good day, aggressive\u00a0drivers are edging into the crosswalk when pedestrians have the right of way. I end up shouting at someone a couple of times a week. Not sure what the solution is. Clearly these poorly designed intersections are artifacts of an earlier time. I have a utopian fantasy of ubiquitous pedestrian over\/underpasses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The driver\u2019s view of the crash location: looking northwest on Lincoln before turning left onto Irving Park. Photo: John Greenfield<\/p>\n

To get more details about the North Center case, on Wednesday I asked Police News Affairs for CPD\u2019s preliminary statement.<\/p>\n

Streetsblog Chicago often uses more the detailed Traffic Crash Reports<\/a> as a source for our writeups of pedestrian and bike collisions. But currently reporters needs the victim\u2019s name, among other info, to quickly access these. Moreover, the crash report for Tuesday\u2019s collision might not have been completed by Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the text of the police statement:<\/p>\n

2000 block of W. Irving Park Rd. on June 23, 2026, at approx. 6:34 p.m. (19th District)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 25-year-old male was [driving] northwest on Lincoln Avenue and attempted to make a lefthand turn. While [the driver was] turning, a 30-year-old male bicyclist struck the side of his vehicle at the intersection. The 30-year-old bicyclist sustained abrasions to the face and was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in good condition. The driver of the vehicle refused medical attention. No citations were issued.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice two major differences between Pallardy\u2019s account and CPD\u2019s. The civilian told me the crash happened around 5:20 p.m., but the police put it at 6:34. And while Pallardy said the victim was a woman, while the police stated that the bike rider was a man.<\/p>\n

When I shared the preliminary CPD statement with Pallardy, he emailed back that he was sure some of the information in it was inaccurate. He said that his cell phone\u2019s call log shows he dialed 911 to report the crash at 5:19 p.m. He added that he was certain the victim was female.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, I called local City Council member Ald. Matt Martin\u2019s (47th) office to see if they had any more insights on the case. Martin is one of the most sustainable transportation-friendly politicians in City Hall.<\/p>\n

\"\"After a contentious Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety meeting last March,<\/a> Ald. Martin shared his experiences helping to get potentially life-saving protected bike lanes<\/a> installed on Clark Street in Uptown. Photo: John Greenfield<\/p>\n

I spoke with Ryan McCray, the ward\u2019s director of policy and infrastructure, who started the job last January. I was later told he spoke to me on the phone as a citizen, rather than in the role of an official City spokesperson.<\/p>\n

McCray said two other 47th Ward staffers happened to be at the intersection at the time of Tuesday\u2019s collision. I asked him to pass along my contact info, but didn\u2019t hear back from them by press time.<\/p>\n

McCray confirmed Pallardy\u2019s account that Tuesday\u2019s crash happened not long after 5 p.m. McCray said that one of his colleagues notified him about the crash shortly after their office, located up the street at 4243 N. Lincoln Ave, closed at 5. <\/p>\n

McCray happened to be free to investigate the situation himself, so he hopped on his bike, rode less than a half mile southeast on Lincoln, and arrived at the scene roughly five minutes after hearing about the collision. \u201cI can confirm [the crash happened] around 5:20,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"An approximation of the driver\u2019s and bike rider\u2019s movements, based on CPD and McCray\u2019s statements. Image: Google Maps<\/p>\n

McCray told me that when he showed up, there was an ambulance present, and he assumed the victim was inside. He said the cyclist had been riding southeast on Lincoln Avenue. When McCray arrived at the intersection, there was a small pool of blood about five feet from a curb at the northwest corner of the six-way, where there\u2019s an AT&T cell phone store.<\/p>\n

McCray said the motor vehicle, a large black Lincoln SUV, was still there. There was a dent on the front passenger side, in keeping with his and the CPD\u2019s descriptions of how the crash happened.<\/p>\n

The exact time of the collision is very important to this case. There are signs on Lincoln Avenue facing both northwest- and southwest-bound motorists stating that left turns are not permitted on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. <\/p>\n

\"\"One of the signs telling drivers on Lincoln they can\u2019t make left turns during weekday rush hours, shot looking northwest. Photo: John Greenfield<\/p>\n

According to CPD\u2019s and McCray\u2019s saccounts, the SUV driver made a left turn from Lincoln. If he did so around 5:20 p.m., as Pallardy and McCray said was the case, then he broke the no-turn rule and should have been ticketed for that.<\/p>\n

And even if the crash did occur at 6:34 p.m., as the police statement claimed, it appears there\u2019s no dedicated left-turn phase for motorists on Lincoln Avenue, at any time. If that\u2019s the case, the SUV driver should have still been cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic, regardless of what time of day he made a left.<\/p>\n

At end-of-day Thursday, News Affairs said no citations had been issued in the case.<\/p>\n

Hopefully the bike rider will make a full and fast recovery. And let\u2019s hope they can obtain security footage that shows exactly what happened in this case, and exactly when it occurred.<\/p>\n

Update 6\/26\/26, 2:15 PM: <\/strong>After publication of this article, attorney Brendan Kevenides of the personal injury firm FK Law, which is representing the victim, reached out with a statement echoing one of the points I made here: No matter what time the crash took place, it appears the driver was at fault. (FK Law is a Streetsblog Chicago sponsor, but I was unaware they were working on the case when I wrote this article.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time discrepancy is interesting,\u201d Kevenides said via email. \u201cThis crash happened about around 5:20 p.m.\u00a0I have no idea why CPD noted it incorrectly.\u00a0 Regardless of whether the \u2018no left turn\u2019 prohibition was in effect or not, the person on the bicycle had the right of way and would have been clearly visible to any driver approaching the intersection.\u00a0The driver caused this terrible crash no matter the time of day.\u00a0As a result of the driver\u2019s inattention, our client has been left with a serious facial wound that we fear will result in permanent scarring. Thanks for your efforts to investigate this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevenides responded to my question about the victim\u2019s gender by stating that the bike rider is male. I requested the client\u2019s name, which might enable me to quickly access a detailed Traffic Crash Report, but the attorney said he did not have permission to provide further information.<\/p>\n

After I spoke with the 47th Ward\u2019s McCray, Ald. Martin\u2019s Chief of Staff Lucy Nye emailed an official statement on behalf of the alder. \u201cAld. Martin is deeply concerned by the serious crash in which a motorist struck a cyclist at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue, Damen Avenue, and Irving Park Road,\u201d it read. \u201cIn 2023, our office worked proactively to improve safety<\/a> at this dangerous intersection. In the two years following those improvements, serious crashes declined 100 percent, injury crashes fell by 66 percent, and total crashes decreased 16 percent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Checking out info about the proposal to modify Irving Park\/Damen\/Lincoln at a community meeting in March 2023.<\/a> Photo: 47th Ward<\/p>\n

\u201cEven one crash is too many,\u201d she added. \u201cWe know more work is needed. This six-way intersection is one of the most dangerous in the ward, and bisects a state highway [Irving Park] \u2013 emphasizing the need for continued collaboration with state leaders about ways city and state planners can work together to improve public safety.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a gallery of some of the recent safety upgrades made at or near Irving Park\/Damen\/Lincoln. All photos shot today by yours truly.<\/p>\n

\"\"A block of southbound raised and protected bike lane north of Irving, looking south.<\/p>\n

\"\"A paint-and-posts curb extension at the six-way intersection, looking south.<\/p>\n

\"\"A short stretch of southeast-bound protected bike lane on Lincoln near Irving Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"A stretch of paint-only, southeast-bound bike lane on Lincoln south of Irving Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"A block of northwest-bound protected bike lane on Lincoln, looking southeast from Iving Park. <\/p>\n

\"\"The northwest-bound protected bike lane on Lincoln, at Irving Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"Waiting for a red on Lincoln at Irving Park around 5:45 p.m. Yesterday there was heavy northbound bike commuter traffic on Damen.<\/p>\n

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