A 43-year-old man is dead after he was struck by an out-of-control car Friday morning.
The accident happened in front of Roseland Community Hospital at about 7 a.m. when the driver of the car lost control of his vehicle. Kenneth Collins, an employee of the hospital, was standing on the sidewalk when he was struck.
It's not clear whether charges will be filed in the case and investigators aren't sure what caused the car to veer out of control, but officials say the driver remained at the scene and was cooperative.
Collins girlfriend, Alicia Penn, told NBC5 that one of the last communications she received from him was a text message saying he loved her.
"It's just not real. It just seems like it's not fair," Penn said. "Why do things happen like this when things were going so good and we had so many plans?"
The couple was planning to move in together next weekend. Collins had just started his job at the hospital as a mental health specialist in the adolescent unit.
His mother, Alice Collins, said the Western Illinois University graduate wanted to dedicate his life to helping the community.
"His thing was to meet young men, young enough to prevent them from ever going to jail," Alice Collins said.
The victim's family said he planned to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Day.
