On February 10 at around 9 PM, Richard Pallardy was walking home to his apartment near Fullerton and Sacramento from a swim at Logan Square’s Kosciuszko Park. Strolling south on Kimball, the 33-year-old freelance writer began crossing Wrightwood in the crosswalk, with a walk signal. As he did so, a northbound driver made a sudden left turn on Wrightwood and struck him.
As I noted a year ago, when 34-year-old mechanic Christopher Sanchez was killed in Avondale, 40 percent of Chicago pedestrian fatalities between 2005 and 2014 involved drivers who fled, according to Chicago Department of Transportation data. This issue has continued to be a persistent problem since then, and although the driver who hit Sanchez was apprehended, bringing offenders to justice is often an uphill battle.
“I constantly see people speeding and blowing stop signs at full speed in that area,” he says.
When the #alderman in whose ward your accident occurred can’t be bothered to respond… #logansquare #chicago @CDRosa pic.twitter.com/y2EHN80eYH
— Richard T. Pallardy (@RTPallardy) February 18, 2017
When I contacted 35th Ward chief of staff Monica Trevino about efforts to reduce crashes in the ward, she said the alderman has allocated $500,000 for safety infrastructure in recent years. These projects include curb extensions, pedestrian islands, walk signals with countdown timers, and an upcoming traffic-calmed, bike-friendly “neighborhood greenway” on Wellington between Kedzie and Kimball. A 35th Ward staffer also called the Major Accidents unit on Pallardy’s behalf, Trevino says.
John Greenfield edits the transportation news website Streetsblog Chicago.
