One of seven people who were critically injured early Sunday when a Chevy Malibu smashed into a tree has died, police said.
Juan P. Trujillo, 28, was pronounced dead at 2:29 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
The one-vehicle crash happened about 1:28 a.m. near the intersection of West Garfield and South Hamilton Avenue, in the in the South Side Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood, according to police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. A previous report that the driver was a 14-year-old girl was incorrect; the girl was found in the front seat of the car after the crash, police said. The driver was a man in his 20s.
An EMS Plan 1, which automatically sends five ambulances to the scene, was called for the crash, according to Fire Media Affairs.
Seven people were taken in critical condition to area hospitals, Fire Media Affairs said.
An 18-year-old woman and a man in his 20s were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County; a 28-year-old man, a 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital; an unidentified person was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital; and the 14-year-old driver was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.
It had not been determined if drugs or alcohol was a factor in the crash Sunday morning, Perez said.
Local
The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the accident.
