A Chicago taxi cab driver was killed Monday morning after a collision with a motorcycle.
The motorcyclist survived.
Taxi driver Muhammad Tahir, 33, was on his way to O'Hare with a passenger, driving on the 6000 block of North Nagle around 6 a.m. when he collided with the cycle, police said. The accident caused the cab to veer off the road and run through a light pole and a boat trailer and hit a freestanding garage.
The garage and the light pole came crashing down on the vehicle, killing Tahir. The motorcyclist and his bike went skidding across the northbound lane and into a neighbor's yard.
"Me and my husband heard the impact. We ran to our living room window. We found the motorcyclist actually on our front lawn," said Katherine Skurski.
The passenger of the taxi suffered minor injuries. He had to climb out of the back window of the cab, said neighbor and witness Ed Zygas.
Tahir had been with Yellow Cab since 2002 and may have been driving erratically, police said.
In a statement, the company said it was "saddened to learn of the tragic accident" and extended its "deepest and most sincere sympathies to his family."
Those who live along the stretch of road said that accidents have been happening more frequently and feared they would continue unless the city steps in to do something to slow down drivers.
"I think if they put lights or do something, they can be prevented," said Robert Skurski.
The owners of the totaled garage agreed, saying a similar incident happened to them years ago, but without a fatality.
"Now somebody died from it," said homeowner Karen Huerth. "There's something wrong with the way this speeding is, even for the crosswalks with the kids. They can't get across the street,"
Huerth's husband, Robert, suggested the city install cameras or add speed bumps to the roadway.
The motorcyclist, Humberto Garcia, was not wearing a helmet and was back at home Monday afternoon after being treated for minor injuries at Ressurection Medical Center.
"He's a very lucky guy," said David Wweinberg with Frontier Adjusters.
