7 Injured After SUV Flies Off Lake Shore Drive in Chicago

Seven people were injured after a vehicle with six passengers inside flew off a road in Chicago on Sept. 4, and crashed into construction equipment.

The driver of the silver Chevy Tahoe was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, police officers told WLS. Officers said that the driver was speeding.

A witness told the broadcaster that he thinks the driver swerved to try to avoid hitting a sanitation worker who was working on the overpass, WGN reported.

The driver lost control of the Tahoe and the SUV flew off Lake Shore Drive and landed on construction equipment below.

Seven people hospitalized after vehicle flies off Lake Shore Drive into construction site below at LaSalle Dr. @kellykdavis has the details live this morning on @WGNMorningNews. pic.twitter.com/n4Sf3syefk

— Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) September 4, 2018

Witness Accounts

People in the area said they heard a loud bang and rushed over to see what had caused it.

“I live right across the street in a high rise and I heard a screech and I came to the window and I saw the car trying to make a wild turn and it looks like they went under the bridge,” witness Alijah told WLS.

[morearticles mode=”false”]2640950[/morearticles]

Mateo Watson, a passerby who assisted a group helping the victims get out of the vehicle, said two of the passengers were badly hurt.

“We got two ladies out, but it was one stuck in the car, and two had a split head open,” Watson told CBS.

Yes that’s a vehicle! Witnesses say this suv flew off the overpass on Lake Shore Drive and crashed into a construction zone here on LaSalle Street. 6 people are injured, the story on @fox32news. pic.twitter.com/meo8QfC2o8

— Tia A. Ewing (@TIA_EWING) September 4, 2018

Injured Rushed to Hospitals

The seven victims were taken to three different area hospitals, reported WGN.

The victims have not been identified by name.

There were five women in the vehicle ranging from 19 to 24 years old; while the two men inside were aged 30 and 40, respectively.

None of the injuries were classified as life-threatening.

Summary of this story about speeding tickets on Lake Shore Drive: The road is not properly designed for the speed limits that are posted. It is a highway in all but name & speed limit, which is why it is such a dangerous road. https://t.co/xJIKbaTA5E

— Jacob Peters (@ArchiJake) September 4, 2018

Lake Shore Drive Speeding

Lake Shore Drive is the top road in terms of speeding tickets issued, according to Chicago police data.

The Chicago Tribune reported that there were 2,584 high-speed tickets issued in a single block on the drive, the 3900 block by Oakwood Beach, last year, or an average of about seven per day.

As a whole, Lake Shore Drive accounts for more than half of the high-speed tickets issued in the city.

“The number of tickets issued on Lake Shore Drive points to a long-standing problem—with four lanes in each direction along most of the road, the drive looks and feels like a highway, though it was intended as a scenic boulevard and in some places has no guardrails or emergency shoulders,” the Tribune noted.

“The maximum speed limit is 40 mph on the North Side and 45 mph on the South, but up to 95 percent of drivers exceed the limit when the road is not congested, according to an Illinois Department of Transportation study.”

From NTD.tv