14-year-old cross country runner dies in accident

A high school freshman cross-country athlete has died after being hit by car while running in a Southwest suburban forest preserve.

Authorities say 14-year-old Patrick Mizwicki of New Lenox died late Thursday. Cook County sheriff’s police say Mizwicki was training along a horse trail in Teason Woods in Palos Township with his with Lincoln-Way East High School teammates.

According to the Cook County sheriff’s office, Mizwicki stopped to allow a southbound vehicle to pass before he crossed 104th Avenue. But his view of an oncoming northbound car, a 2007 Nissan Altima, was obstructed by the southbound car.

The driver of the northbound vehicle hit her brakes but was unable to avoid striking Mizwicki. The driver, who remained at the scene and cooperated fully, was issued minor citations for failure to yield at a crosswalk and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. No further charges are pending.

Cook County sheriff’s office spokesman Steve Patterson described it as “a horribly tragic accident.”