Batavia man hit by car, killed while walking dog

A Batavia man was killed Wednesday while walking his dog, hit by a car driven by a man on parole for aggravated DUI, police said.

David J. Long, 57, was on a sidewalk on the west side of the 1000 block of Woodland Hills Road when he was hit by a southbound Acura at 6:40 a.m., according to Batavia police. The Acura also struck two curbside mailboxes and a tree.

The Acura then re-entered the roadway and hit a Chevrolet Equinox SUV, knocking it into a front yard on the east side of the street. The Acura came to a stop in a yard at Woodland Hills and Chillem Drive, and the driver ran off, police said, but witnesses told them where he was.

"It was just awful," said Pat Brown, who heard the crash and saw the aftermath.

A West Chicago paramedic who lives on Woodland heard the "boom" of the Acura hitting his mailbox and administered CPR to Long. Long was pronounced dead at Delnor Hospital in Geneva. The dog also was killed.

Edward Cook, 24, of the 1200 block of East Wilson Street, was charged with aggravated DUI, reckless homicide, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving on a revoked license and failure to give info or render aid.

Deputy Police Chief Gregory Thrun said witnesses told police the Acura was driving over the speed limit. The limit is 30 mph and there is a slight curve in the road.

Cook submitted to a blood test for drugs and alcohol. Results are not available yet, and typically take weeks to arrive from the state crime lab. Neither he nor the driver of the Equinox was injured.

The Illinois Department of Corrections lists Cook as being paroled Dec. 9, 2008, on the DUI and an obstruction of justice conviction. It also indicates he successfully completed parole in 2004 on convictions of burglary and aiding or abetting the possession or selling of a stolen vehicle.

The Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team is helping to investigate the crash.

It occurred in a neighborhood of single-family homes on Batavia's southeast side. Woodland Hills connects from Wilson Street on the north to Giese Road on the south.

Neighbors discussing the accident Wednesday night disagreed about whether speeding is a problem on Woodland Hills. At Wilson, the street lines up with an entrance to a large apartment complex. Drivers "just keep whipping down," said Brown, saying they also ignore or roll through stop signs.