Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run accident in 3800 block of North Milwaukee in Old Irving
by BRIAN NADIG
A second bicyclist has been killed in a traffic accident in the 3800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in Old Irving Park since 2019.
A vehicle, described as a newer model black Nissan Versa, struck a 22-year-old male bicyclist at about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, but the driver failed to stop, according to the Chicago Police Department Office News Affairs. The car reportedly continued traveling northwest on Milwaukee, police said.
The man was transported in critical condition to Illinois Masonic Hospital but died of his injuries, police said. He was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office as Nick G. Parlingayan of undisclosed address at this time. The examiner ruled the death an accident and the man died from blunt force injuries.
Police are asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of the Nissan to call 911. The vehicle should have damage to its front passenger-side bumper and a headlight, police said.
“This is an extremely unfortunate incident, and my sincere condolences go out to this man’s family,” Alderman James Gardiner (45th) said. “My office will continue to try to create a safe environment in the area for bicycles, pedestrians and motorists.”
In 2019, a woman was fatally struck by a dump truck while she rode her bicycle at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, in the 3800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, according to police.
The woman was biking south on Milwaukee in the bike lane to the right of a truck, and when the traffic light turned green at the intersection the truck turned right and rolled over the woman, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
The woman was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Carla Aiello, age 37, of the 5200 block of North Nashville Avenue.
Dedicated bike lanes were installed along that stretch of Milwaukee in 2017, and about 90 on-street parking spaces were removed to accommodate the project. There were later complaints that the painted bike lanes were fading at the time of the 2019 accident.
Gardiner said that after he got into office in 2019 he requested that plastic bollards be installed to help better delineate the bike lanes and that the city Department of Transportation eventually did after the fatal accident. He said that city plow trucks often strike the bollards and that his office has made numerous requests to have them replaced.
The southbound lanes have been closed at the Milwaukee-Kilbourn viaduct due to a construction project on the Metra Grayland station for months.
A local cyclist said that he does not feel safe riding under the viaduct, especially when there’s also vehicles going through, and that during one recent ride he used the sidewalk. He added that the ongoing construction adds to the confusion when trying to navigate through the Milwaukee-Kilbourn intersection.
