Fatal Cicero Accident Followed Road-Rage Incident: Police
CICERO, Ill. (STMW) -- A crash between a car and a semi truck in Cicero that claimed the life of a 22-year-old man over the weekend is thought to have stemmed from a road rage incident, according to police.
Police say the man was either the victim or was involved in a road rage incident.
The crash happened just after noon Sunday at 34th Street and Cicero Avenue in the west suburb, Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania said.
According to Hanania, police said that Janusz Stasik, 22, of Stickney, was engaged by a driver in another vehicle in an apparent road rage incident. Stasik stopped his car, a 1999 Mazda Protégé, on Cicero Avenue when the unknown driver of another passenger vehicle who was in front of him stopped his car on Cicero, Hanania said.
The unknown driver got out of his car and walked back toward Stasik's vehicle, witnesses said. Stasik then tried to escape by moving his car away, when it was struck on the driver's side by the truck.
Stasik was killed instantly, Hanania said. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:04 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
No charges were filed against the driver of the semi truck, a 30-year-old man from Hammond, Ind.
An autopsy on Monday found Stasik died of craniocerebral injuries and multiple injuries, and his death was ruled an accident, the medical examiner's office said.
There are two witnesses in the case and police are trying to identify the unknown driver, who immediately fled the scene when Stasik's car was struck by the semi truck.
Witnesses told police the other car involved in the incident is a silver or gray Chrysler. Cicero police are reviewing video tapes from nearby businesses to see if they can identify the car owner and are searching for the driver of the other car.
Cicero police are urging anyone who may have seen the accident or who was driving on Cicero Avenue to contact them, at (708) 652-2130.
