Man critical after two pedestrians struck by a car
A public education campaign by police and multiple crosswalk improvements didn't prevent yet another collision between a car and pedestrians Tuesday morning in Mount Prospect.
One man was in critical condition and another was hospitalized after a woman driving west on Algonquin Road hit them as they stood on a median west of Briarwood Drive at 7:42 a.m., Mount Prospect Deputy Police Chief Bob Rzepecki said.
He said the men were possibly walking to a bus stop along Algonquin Road.
A news release late Tuesday identified the men as 25-year-old Saul Maximiliano and 23-year-old Oscar Martinez, both of the 1900 block of West Algonquin Road in Mount Prospect.
Maximiliano was in critical condition at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Martinez was taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village with minor injuries.
Several streets in the area were closed for a time after the accident happened. Later in the morning one lane in each direction was reopened, and all lanes reopened by 1 p.m., spokesman Greg Sill said.
Lined with apartment complexes to the north and strip malls to the south, the stretch of Algonquin Road attracts its share of jaywalkers.
Even as police reconstructed the accident scene just yards to the west, residents darted in front of traffic, pausing at the median and then waiting for another break in cars to complete their journey.
The speed limit on that stretch of Algonquin Road is 45 miles per hour, though people were driving much slower as they passed police investigators.
At the edge of Briarwood Plaza's parking lot, a sign in both English and Spanish adorned with an arrow instructs patrons to cross at the intersection a block away. It's one of many signs, police spokesman Bill Roscop said.
Officers go into nearby John Jay Elementary School and explain to students the danger of not using crosswalks.
A traffic light was also installed several years ago at Briarwood Drive to alleviate the problem.
And on Monday, crosswalk enhancements to the traffic triangle of Algonquin Road, Busse Road and Dempster Street became operational. Roscop said grant money was used to repaint lines and install countdown signs.
Nonetheless, Victor Segura, a Californian staying at the Brownstone Court Apartments for a couple of weeks, was preparing to bypass the crosswalks.
"I know the light's right there, but it's quicker," said Segura, carrying a sack of groceries from Carniceras La Rosita.
Hector Romero's desk at Car Banc looks out onto the accident scene. He's watched pedestrians cross illegally for the past four years.
"I was expecting something like this to happen," Romero said.
Roscop said he expects police to step up educating residents once the Community Connection Center, linking residents of the area with village services, opens in the neighborhood later this month.
Police anticipate filing charges once their investigation is complete, according to the news release. Police ask anyone who witnessed the accident to call investigators at (847) 870-5656.