Truck Driver Who Ran Over Cyclist Carla Aiello Cited For Improper Right Turn, Negligent Driving
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A dump truck driver was issued two traffic violations after he ran over a 37-year-old woman who was riding her bike Wednesday morning in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.
Carla Aiello was riding in the bike lane on Milwaukee Avenue, alongside a dump truck, when the driver made a right turn at Kilbourn Avenue. The truck rolled over Aiello, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The bike was left a twisted mangle of metal, its tires ripped off, one of them lodged under the truck.
The 21-year-old truck driver, whose name has not been released, has been cited for improper right turn and negligent driving. Police said he had the green light, and Aiello likely was in his blind spot, but the Illinois Rules of the Road require drivers who are making a right turn to be aware of any bike lanes and check for cyclists approaching the intersection before making a right turn.
The city installed the bike lanes on Milwaukee Avenue in 2017, but the paint has since faded, although it's unclear if the faded paint had anything to do with the accident.
"When you hear it on the news and it's in your backyard like this one is here, it definitely saddens you," said Fidel Talavera, owner of Bacardi Bikes, which is close to the accident scene.
Milwaukee Avenue is a street that the city calls one of its busiest. The city is already thinking about ideas to improve the bike lanes on another part of Milwaukee Avenue, such as adding barriers.
The area of possible change is along the diagonal thoroughfare between California and Western avenues, about three miles from the scene from the fatal accident.
Meantime, a memorial for Aiello has been set up at the corner where she died. A T-shirt from Josephinum Academy, where she was a guidance counselor, was tied to a pole.