Man Seriously Injured in Hit-and-Run Near Brickyard Mall

Salvatore Cavallaro has serious head injuries, cracked vertebrae

A 75-year-old northwest side man was recovering from serious head injuries and a severed vertebrae on Thursday after being struck by a car the evening prior.

Salvatore Cavallaro was walking near the Brickyard Mall near West Diversey and North Narragansett avenues at about 8 p.m. Wednesday, after a stop at a nearby grocery store, when he was hit.

The driver didn't stick around.

"How could they live with themselves," the man's son, Salvatore Cavallaro Jr., said Thursday as his father recovered in the Intensive Care Unit of Loyola University Medical Center.

Family members said Cavallaro, who is a diabetic who had quintuple bypass surgery five years ago, has a fractured vertebrae, a concussion, bleeding on the brain, a swollen ear and possible broken left hand as a result of the crash.

"I couldn't live with the guilt if I did this to somebody," the younger Cavallaro said. "If you can live with peace with yourself, I don't want to know who you are."

Authorities said the only description they have of the car is that it was a dark-colored sedan.

Roughly 24 hours after the crash, several cars were seen cruising right through the stop sign where Cavallaro was struck. Family members said a sidewalk or speed bumps should be installed to prevent others from getting injured.

Contact Us