6 Killed In Holiday Weekend Traffic Accidents

Nov 30, 2009 7:01 am US/Central

Several Others Were Injured

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ― Six people were killed and several others injured in traffic accidents over the holiday weekend in the city and suburbs.

About 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, a vehicle traveling north on Cicero Avenue swerved into the southbound lanes and struck a vehicle at 6931 S. Cicero Ave., police said. The vehicle continued southbound and struck a pedestrian at 6659 S. Cicero Ave.

The pedestrian, Elias Nunez, 21, of 4246 W. 103rd St. in Oak Lawn, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead at 9:28 a.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Fire Media Affairs Cmdr. Will Knight said four others were also hurt in the crash, prompting a five-ambulance response to the scene. The driver of the vehicle was allegedly intoxicated and taken into police custody following the crash.

Anthony Morales, 31, of the 5500 block of South Homan Avenue, was charged with felony aggravated DUI and cited with following too closely and failure to reduce speed, according to police News Affairs. He was also cited for leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

Judge Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil set Morales' bond at $300,000 during a Saturday hearing, according to a court spokeswoman.

The crashes continued all day Thursday, including a motorist striking a wall on the Eisenhower Expressway at Pulaski Road Thursday afternoon; a vehicle hitting a cyclist Thursday evening in the 5600 block of West Lawrence Avenue and a man in a pick-up truck crashing into a house in the 9300 block of S. South Chicago Avenue Thursday night. The man was pinned inside the vehicle and hospitalized in critical condition.

Early Friday morning, as Black Friday shoppers backed up traffic in west suburban Aurora, a woman was hit by a car near the suburb's outlet mall.

On the South Side Friday night, eight people inside a Buick Regal were injured when the vehicle crashed into a tree in the 900 block of West Garfield Boulevard. Six of the injured were children.

About 7 a.m. Saturday, Spero Zappas, 63, of Joliet, was driving an orange 2006 Pontiac Solstice north on Interstate 55 near southwest suburban Plainfield when he attempted to pass a semi truck in the right lane at a high rate of speed, state police said. Zappas lost control of the Solstice and the car went airborne into a ditch, ejecting him from the vehicle. Zappas was dead on the scene, and may have been racing another vehicle at the time of the incident.

Around the same time, Giovanni Herrera, 18, of 1630 Whitcomb Ave. in Des Plaines, was pronounced dead at Resurrection Medical Center after a crash on Kennedy Expressway on the Northwest Side, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Herrera was driving a 2004 Chrysler Sebring west on the Kennedy Expressway, near N. East River Road, when the car struck a westbound 2006 Chevrolet at 5:59 a.m. Saturday, Illinois State Police Sgt. D. Stokes said. He somehow lost control of the Sebring, leaving the road and striking a light pole, Stokes said.

In Aurora Saturday afternoon, a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle traveling west on Sullivan Road collided with a Chevrolet crossover SUV turning onto eastbound Sullivan Road from a religious temple around 1:45 p.m. in the 1100 block of West Sullivan Road, according to a statement from the Aurora Police Department.

Miguel Gomez-Ortiz, 29, of the 1000 block of Cascade Drive, Aurora, was killed in the accident, police said. He was wearing a helmet, but it was dislodged on impact with the SUV.

Saturday night, a 2004 Nissan was traveling south on Interstate 57 when the driver attempted to abruptly change lanes and crashed about 11:40 p.m. near 127th Street, an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper said.

The Nissan spun out, hit a guardrail on the left side of the interstate then rolled in the right lane -- partially ejecting the driver.

The driver – Kevin Edwards, 19, of 6206 White Birch Lane in Matteson – was pronounced dead at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey at 12:07 a.m. Sunday.

Just after midnight on Sunday, Dustin Avenarius, of Brisbin Road in Yorkville, was traveling on Hopkins Road in rural Kendall County when his pickup truck went off the road, striking a tree and then catching fire, Toftoy said. Avenarius was pronounced dead on the scene.